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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger 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 national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

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

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we view him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.