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With six wins from six matches, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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 perhaps in coming months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.