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After achieving six consecutive triumphs from six matches, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and lost three, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

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 excellent dribbling, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"At Manchester City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a central midfielder," 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 categorize him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

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