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Having secured six victories in six games, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not for the balance that we established and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 matches the trio have played alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

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

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

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize 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 center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.