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With six wins in six games, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.

"They can but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee 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 certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.