England vs Andorra ended in a victory for the Three Lions quite expectedly in a World Cup qualifier at Villa Park on Saturday, September 6. The Three Lions won the match 2-0 with Declan Rice scoring in the second half after an own goal had put the hosts ahead in the first half.
With all due respect to Andorra, there was hardly any doubt over the outcome of the match. Still, the manner in which England’s win came about has to be scrutinised. Thomas Tuchel‘s men were once again not very impressive against lowly opposition.
England’s Ideal Formation Still Not Very Clear
England started with a 4-3-3, with Declan Rice as the No. 8, Eberechi Eze as the No. 10 and Elliott Anderson as No. 6. It worked alright against Andorra, who were never going to dominate the ball.
The formation allowed Rice to venture forward with enough freedom, and Eze to play his part in finishing the moves inside Andorra’s penalty box. However, it was still not enough to breach the opposition’s defence repeatedly.
For all his mobility as a midfielder, Rice is not creative enough to make a difference in the final third. He can always be at the end of the crosses played into the box, as he did against Andorra, but that is where his offensive influence ends.
That means that the onus is entirely on Eze to create moves at the centre of the pitch. The new Arsenal signing has enough flair in him, but was found wanting in terms of his finishing on Saturday. He will ultimately have to contend with Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer for a place in the playing XI, which is no easy task at all.
More so, playing in a 4-3-3 means he will have to fall back more often to do some work off the ball against quality opposition.
Eze is probably not going to enjoy that. Ideally, he would loved to play as a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1, which would require him to do less defensive work. However, in that case, Rice’s attacking freedom will be hampered.
One of England’s recent predicaments has been the fact that their defensive midfielders have outgrown their roles.
It has happened with Rice as well as Kobbie Mainoo. Both of them like to dictate terms inside the opposition half despite starting off as holding midfielders.
Moreover, since the retirement of Paul Scholes, the Three Lions have hardly had a midfielder with wide range of passing other than, perhaps, Jordan Henderson to some extent.
Hence, they do not have any deep-lying playmakers in their squad like a Rodri or a Martin Zubimendi, who could have been instrumental in a double-pivot.
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England vs Andorra Highlights England’s Attacking Concerns
Noni Madueke impressed in the England vs Andorra match, filling in for an injured Bukayo Saka on the right flank really well. The first goal also came from his cross.
However, Myles Lewis-Skelly was not very active with his overlaps, and Marcus Rashford was decent at best on the left flank.
Tuchel is yet to make his team play with the aggressive intent that France, Spain or Portugal have shown in their recent matches.
Unless things improve, the Three Lions will not be genuine contenders at next year’s World Cup.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 06.09.2025