When Thomas Tuchel called Elliot Anderson into the England squad for the first time, the head coach told him to “bring the energy”. Tuchel also urged Anderson to bring the commanding form that helped England win the European Under-21 Championships this summer. Anderson played as a 6 for Lee Carsley’s side in Slovakia, and Tuchel needs one to dovetail with Declan Rice.
There’s a debate over whether Anderson is a 6 or an 8 when he has qualities for both roles. He enjoyed Carsley’s double-pivot system, working well with Alex Scott of Bournemouth. It allowed him to join the attack, knowing there was cover. “Take control of games,” Carsley encouraged Anderson. He would also drop back, splitting the centre-halves to take the ball from the Under-21s keeper James Beadle, turning and starting attacks. Strong and with good touch, Anderson is pretty press-resistant.
Even though Tuchel talks of Anderson as “more an 8 than a 6,” he wants a midfield complement to Rice “to free up Declan to a more No 8 position”. He was considering Adam Wharton in that 6 role but the Crystal Palace player is injured.
Anderson certainly deserves a first cap there against Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday. “Definitely, I could,” Anderson replied when asked whether he could play as a 6 for the seniors. “That’s where I played in the Euro 21s. Definitely, I’d bring energy, I like to get on the ball, and (bring) physicality as well, I’ll cover the ground. I’d bring a few things to the team, not just one thing.”
The 22-year-old is certainly versatile. Under Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest, Anderson has played as a 6, an 8 and a 10, as well as a left central midfielder. Anderson himself describes his Forest role as more “a box-to-box 8”, also looking to thread balls through defences for Chris Wood - or power them through as against Brentford on the opening day of the season.