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Having secured six victories in six games, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are essentially experts 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 deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

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

In the 16 matches the stars have performed alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

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 primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

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

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two 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 attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.