Kane, Bellingham and Foden are unable to operate simultaneously - what's the verdict?

Having secured six victories from six matches, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to 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 - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply 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 certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at the European Championship 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 secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores 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.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

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

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

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.