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After achieving six consecutive triumphs out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They might but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the central striker, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.