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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the country's best players - 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 within this system, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times 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.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, 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 support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring 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 one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.