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Having secured six victories in six games, no goals conceded 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 lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

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

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not for the structure that incorporates 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

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured together, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

Foden could feature as the main forward, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"At Manchester City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," 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 make him an option 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.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.