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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter 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 keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They might but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that transforms formation when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead 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 a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.