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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize 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 Barcelona loanee and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months 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 categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.