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With six wins from six matches, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

However, 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 - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

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

"They might but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

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

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we view 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 position him as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.