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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

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

"It's possible but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we established and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

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

Foden could play as the main forward, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

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

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

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.