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EPL England made it four wins from four in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, but it was far from convincing stuff. There was a fresher look to Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all out injured, but despite maintaining complete control of the match and never looking in any danger of dropping points, there was little to get the Villa Park crowd off their seats. Advertisement A first-half own goal and a second half Declan Rice header were enough to preserve their five-point lead at the top of Group K, as they prepare to travel to Serbia — the biggest threat to their qualification hopes — on Tuesday. The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and Stuart James assess the action… Thomas Tuchel spoke before this game as if he wanted this to be a relaunch, a new phase of his England tenure. A line has been drawn under the disappointing June break and he wants to see a sharper, clearer England from now on. This 2-0 win felt like a small step in that direction. No one would argue it was a classic, but England were comfortable, created chances and could have won by more. It was certainly better than the painful 1-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona in June, when England never even got going. There was at least a visible purpose about Tuchel’s side this time. Of course, this was only Andorra, and Tuchel’s England are untested against strong teams. Tougher tests await, not least in Belgrade on Tuesday night, which should be the hardest game of this qualification campaign. Serbia have seven points from their three games so far and won 1-0 in Latvia earlier on Saturday. It will be a challenging atmosphere, and Serbia, unlike Andorra, will have players who can hurt England. Tuchel will need his side to take a few bigger steps forward than this. Jack Pitt-Brooke A place is up for grabs in the England midfield. Fitness permitting, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are nailed on starters at the World Cup next summer. But who is the final piece in the midfield jigsaw? Much, of course, depends on the formation that England play and how Thomas Tuchel deploys Declan Rice. Is Rice, who was once viewed as a natural No 6, more of a marauding No 8 now? Advertisement Either way, Elliott Anderson put forward a convincing case to be a significant part of the conversation after an impressive performance on his England debut. The Nottingham Forest midfielder, who a couple of years ago was close to committing to playing for Scotland, the country of his grandmother’s birth and the nation he represented from under-16 to under-21 level, looked totally at ease in an England shirt. Constantly demanding the ball – 77 touches in the first half alone – Anderson was not just comfortable in possession but, encouragingly, keen to pass forward whenever possible. A clever ball around the corner to Noni Madueke early on was symptomatic of that positive approach and led to Eberechi Eze registering England’s first shot on target. Indeed, it was no surprise that Anderson was also involved in the opening goal, linking neatly with Eze before Madueke’s cross was glanced into his own net by Christian Garcia. There could, and possibly should, have been a debut goal, too. It was a chance that came about from Anderson’s tenacity as he pressed aggressively on the edge of the Andorra penalty area. When Harry Kane returned the ball to Anderson it was slightly behind him, and his attempt to dig out a shot from under his feet ended with the Andorra goalkeeper Iker Alvarez saving. Tuchel, however, will have taken a lot of encouragement from Anderson’s wider contribution. Stuart James Marcus Rashford has been one of Thomas Tuchel’s big projects since he became England head coach. Despite Rashford’s patchy club form, Tuchel has brought him back into the international setup, trusting that he can find the confidence and rhythm required to make an impact at this level. So this was Rashford’s third start for Tuchel, a chance for him to show what he can do against Andorra. And playing high and wide on the left, Rashford looked desperate to impress. He ran with the ball, tried things, went past players, caught Andorra out with his clever movement. But the technical execution was never quite there. Most tellingly, five minutes into the second half, he skewed a shot wide after Alvarez had saved from Eberechi Eze. It was the type of chance he used to be able to take in his sleep. Advertisement The left-wing slot in this team is still open. Rashford has been given the chance to secure it, but he has not yet. Anthony Gordon came on for Rashford in the second half here and looked lively. And the better Jack Grealish does for Everton, the more pressure Tuchel will be under to find someone else. Jack Pitt-Brooke Tuesday, September 9: Serbia (away), FIFA World Cup qualifying, 7. 45pm UK, 2. 45pm ET (Top photo: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle