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With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections 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 were selected for each England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license 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 creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 position him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.