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International Football Thomas Tuchel’s interpretation of Declan Rice as a midfielder will influence who plays alongside him in the 2026 World Cup. Rice’s goal in the 2-0 victory against Andorra offered a glimpse into how Tuchel intends to configure his midfield and the profile of partner he is likely to want for the 26-year-old. Advertisement An increasing body of evidence suggests Tuchel favours a 4-2-3-1 system and therefore two dovetailing central midfielders. Against Andorra on Saturday, Rice began in an Arsenal-lite advanced role, operating in the left channel. He was given licence to rotate with club team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly and scope to crash into the box, perfectly encapsulated in his downward header for England’s second. This was a clue from Tuchel that Rice, whether through design or circumstance, is likely to be deployed with more of a box-to-box remit in the future, as opposed to the holding job he held for much of Gareth Southgate’s tenure.   Rice’s role has a consequential effect on who plays with him. His role against Andorra called for balance, with someone else tasked with sitting behind the ball and progressing play from deep. In other words, it required a deep-lying midfielder that England have rarely had but regularly yearned for over the years. This is a theme that, in the past, has been sharpened in the aftermath of tournament defeats when England have gone under due to the victors’ overwhelming ball possession. Southgate could not quite figure out the midfield balance in last year’s European Championship, England’s most recent tournament. Initially, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing and vision from deep meant he moonlighted in the position, but the experiment was scrapped for Conor Gallagher’s energy. Southgate finally settled for Kobbie Mainoo, a player his club manager, Ruben Amorim, views through a more attacking prism than Southgate. All three were of contrasting skill sets and left Rice acting as the safety blanket behind them. This week, Tuchel called for greater intensity within his side after a lukewarm first four matches of his reign. In Elliot Anderson, Tuchel had a midfielder making his debut who may well have strengthened the German’s belief in playing Rice further forward, albeit we must add the caveat that this game was against an Andorra side ranked 174th in the world. Advertisement Anderson’s form at Nottingham Forest over the past year has warranted international selection. The 22-year-old is a midfielder who has a wide-ranging skill set based on athleticism, ball-carrying, and, maybe most pertinently, robustness. He eats up ground easily and swiftly. He missed only one league match last season and, in the opening fixture of this campaign against Brentford, covered the most distance of any Forest player (11. 3 kilometres), with over eight kilometres of that running.   Considering how physicality has been a perceived weakness of his midfield competitors — Amorim has wanted to work on Mainoo’s speed, while Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton has suffered injuries — this may count in Anderson’s favour as England build towards next summer’s World Cup. “(He’s) very physical, a lot of volume, ” said the England manager at the start of the week. “Very precise, clean passing. ” Tuchel stationed Anderson as the chief progressor in the team’s build-up against Andorra’s unsurprisingly defensive 5-4-1. In some ways, it was a throwback to in-possession structures of previous years, with the holding midfielder, in this case Anderson, dropping between the two central defenders and the full-backs pushing wide.   Anderson’s head was on a swivel from the outset, constantly adjusting his position to provide a passing lane. He was forward-thinking and confident, not cowed by being on debut and the sense of occasion that comes with it. He was bold and anticipated moves before they happened, twice signalling to former Newcastle United team-mate Dan Burn that his passes needed to be wrapped through the lines and offered cover behind Marc Guehi whenever he was dragged into midfield. He laid off the ball for Noni Madueke, whose cross then deflected off Andorra defender Christian Garcia for England’s first goal. Only seven of Anderson’s 114 passes went astray. Most of those that did not reach their intended target, he retrieved almost immediately. Advertisement “He’s just a very good football player, ” Tuchel said after the game. “He has a physicality, a very mobile six, the body — he loves to defend, he loves to put his body inside to win duels, he loves passing, loves to break the lines. “It was a pleasure to see. It was a bit of a nervous start to the week, which was also nice to see that not everything is normal for the guys, that they are still nervous when they come to camp and are not afraid to admit it. But very quickly, he adapted and we thought, ‘Why not? Let’s give him his debut straightaway’. It was a very strong performance. ” Anderson actually ought to have scored when he regained possession outside Andorra’s box six minutes after the break. Recognising the trigger to press, he “jumped”, with his tackle ricocheting to Harry Kane. England’s captain squared the ball, albeit it was slightly behind Anderson, who had to adjust his stride to apply contact. The effort was smothered by the goalkeeper.   Andorra substitute Guillaume Lopez was introduced with a very clear remit to screen passes into Anderson. The pair engaged in a game of cat and mouse, with Lopez following Anderson around the pitch as the England player tried to get on the ball. Anderson’s energy was relentless, and if it turns out to be Mainoo, Wharton, or another player partnering Rice, this game may be the one that sets a blueprint for how Tuchel makes his midfield work. The next challenge for this midfield pairing will be its effectiveness against a far higher calibre of opposition. “Today was more of how he (Anderson) adapts to the situation, ” said Tuchel. “His nerves… is he nervous? Can he show what he has shown in training? Can he show what he showed at Nottingham Forest? “Straightaway, he showed it. He played with a lot of freedom and very quickly in the flow. I think he has the physicality and the mindset to play in more difficult games and his performance is clearly in the mix for us to play in Serbia (on Tuesday). ” (Top photo: Eddie Keogh – The FA via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Jacob is a football reporter covering Aston Villa for The Athletic. Previously, he followed Southampton FC for The Athletic after spending three years writing about south coast football, working as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he was awarded the Football Writers' Association Student Football Writer of the Year. Follow Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell