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Having secured six victories from six matches, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They might but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options 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 fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and lost three, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup 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 striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.