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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions 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 keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

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

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder 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 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 one with more license to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.