England's star trio struggle to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?

Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"They might but not within this system, 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 a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

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 his team selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the trio have played together, England have won 10, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"At Manchester City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future 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 number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.