Alex Scott, newly named to Thomas Tuchel’s squad, says he feels his best position is number eight. But it looks like he’ll be fighting for a different role this week.
The real battle in England’s midfield now is with the more defensive No. 6, so Scott’s World Cup hopes may hinge on how well the Bournemouth man proves himself in that position if given the chance to play against Serbia and Albania.
The Scot also played deep roles at Bournemouth and previously at Bristol City, and his statistics show he is very adept there. However, the top English midfielder in the Premier League in terms of defensive performance is Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson, who has dominated England’s number six role since his debut in September.
Compare the four defensive midfielders currently in Tuchel’s squad: Anderson, Scott, Jordan Henderson and Adam Wharton. He ignores Declan Rice, who the England national team manager has said he would like to use more up front.
Most of the statistics clearly show that Anderson is definitely at the forefront, especially when it comes to defensive qualities. He outperforms other players in terms of total touches, forward passes, duels won, tackles and recoveries.
However, while Anderson’s closest rival in terms of duels won and tackles is Scott, Scott outperforms him in terms of ball possession in the final third and successful interceptions.
Compare the heatmaps of England’s deep midfield options
The heatmap reveals that of the four options, Henderson and Wharton are unsurprisingly the deepest of Tuchel’s midfield options. In fact, Wharton is perhaps the most natural number six of them all, rarely penetrating deep into the opposition half.
Scott is clearly the most dynamic and happy to roam all over the pitch, but he will be required to be more disciplined defensively if he is to make his debut in an England shirt. Anderson tends to lean towards the left, which is also Rice’s preference, so this could be a challenge for England going forward.
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After earning his first England call-up, watch Scott’s stunning strike in Bournemouth’s 2-1 win over Brighton in September.
Henderson currently outperforms his rivals when it comes to blocking and ranks high for both long balls and forward passing, but Tuchel says that is a priority for all his players to avoid a drop in tempo in international matches.
When it comes to more offensive areas, the stats suggest that Wharton’s biggest strengths are his way of dislodging defenders and the quality of his passes. This season he has created 14 chances, just one fewer than Anderson, but the Palace man has played two fewer Premier League games to reach that total.
Again, it will be interesting to see how Wharton adapts if he is able to play alongside Rice in this week’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia vs. Albania.
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A look back at Wharton’s best points from this season’s Premier League season at Crystal Palace
However, based on statistical evidence and focusing on defensive qualities, it is clear that Elliott Anderson has been the best player so far this season.
I expect Tuchel to take four or five central midfield players to next summer’s World Cup, but with Rice shooting in, Henderson more consistent than ever, and Anderson increasingly attracting attention as an international midfielder, the final spot could be a choice between Wharton and Scott (of course, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a player like Koby Mainu returning to form and attracting attention in the second half of the season).
Rice is England’s No.8 and is recognized to be able to influence play in both attack and defence. Whoever Rice’s deep midfield partners are, they will be expected to adapt to him and become a key playmaker, acting as a defensive buffer in front of England’s back four.
Admittedly, manager Tuchel will be giving half an idea as to which of Anderson, Wharton or Scott would be the best choice to replace the Arsenal player as a box-to-box midfielder during this international break. But his priorities will be evaluating which of those three can play best alongside Rice, building a relationship and understanding with Rice, and having the positional intelligence to fill in whenever Rice is elsewhere.
With that in mind, it feels like this international break could be key to shaping England’s midfield, with just four games left until Tuchel selects his World Cup squad.
