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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not within this system, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize 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 wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings 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 holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

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

Foden could feature as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.