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Having secured six victories in six games, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team 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, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could operate as the central striker, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view him as a number eight," 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 number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.