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After achieving six consecutive triumphs in six games, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

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

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

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

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 position him as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.