England's star trio can't fit in the same lineup - what's the verdict?

With six wins in six games, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

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

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 matches the trio have played together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

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 feature as the central striker, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to 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 permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.