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After achieving six consecutive triumphs out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the build-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 - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

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

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of 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.