It still seems a travesty, and a mystery known only to Thomas Tuchel, that Jordan Henderson was named in the last senior England squad and not Elliot Anderson. Henderson’s the past, and a respected performer for England on 84 occasions, but the uncapped Anderson is the future. And Tuchel is searching for a 6.
To be fair to Tuchel, an exceptional head coach and respected blenders of teams, he might simply have been helping out Lee Carsley and his Under-21s in their defence of their Uefa title. But then Tuchel took James Trafford, a player Carsley could have used, for the June internationals, and didn’t play him. Who knows? Anyway, Anderson has come to the Under-21 Euros here and is nailed on for team of the tournament, if not player.
There has inevitably been plenty of focus on the goalscoring Harvey Elliott and the all-action Tino Livramento, a contender for the senior left-back role, but Anderson has been the glue and the guile in the team, the standard-setter. He drops back, splitting the centre-backs, taking the ball from James Beadle. He plays as a 6 but in a double pivot with (usually) Alex Scott which allows him to raid forward.
We’ve seen more of his passing range, the subtlety and vision. There’s also a commendable unfussy, old-school ethos to Anderson. He gets fouled, gets up and gets on with the game. Anderson is also quite physical, and needs to modify how he challenges with arms outstretched. But nothing seems to faze him. Awe doesn’t feature in his vocabulary.
It's only the Under-21s, the doubters will argue, but some of the opponents Anderson is up against have already been capped at senior level. Nottingham Forest fans have taken to social media to post their love for the player bought last year for £35m from Newcastle United. He’s a £60m+ player now.
Newcastle fans lament the loss of a home-grown player, and rail against PSR (while also knowing that Anderson wouldn’t yet get in a midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton). He’s a Wallsend Boys Club lad, and Newcastle fans have too much painful experience of watching those players –like Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick - head south early. When Tuchel does cap Anderson, he will become the sixth Wallsend player to represent England, following Peter Beardsley, Shearer, Carrick, Alan Thompson and Fraser Forster. I met Anderson at Wallsend when Carrick opened a new facility. Anderson, another alumnus, turned up to show support. Sums him up. A player going places but not forgetting his roots.
I’d met him before in the lobby of a Bristol hotel when he was at Rovers on loan. Anderson was with his parents, who were visiting, sitting near the lifts, chatting. I’d been interviewing Joey Barton, who introduced us, and when we walked away, Barton observed “he’ll play for England”. Anderson hadn’t said much. Didn’t need to. His presence said more.
Last week, sitting in a tiny room in the picturesque club-house of Samorin FC, England’s training base, Anderson spoke with a small group of reporters covering England. All present appreciated he was on a journey which will shortly take him from Carsley’s care to Tuchel’s.
Carsley has used Anderson shrewdly. England’s head coach could see that, playing his first full season, Anderson had a dip in form over the last few games of Forest’s season. He was less influential, a bit fatigued, and picked up a series of bookings. He started 33 of Forest’s 38 league games (and came on in four others), having started only 13 in his four years at Newcastle (+ 31 subs).
Anderson’s only previous experience of sustained back-to-back games came in that successful loan period at Bristol Rovers (20 starts in 95 days in 2022 – and seven goals). Given his box-to-box contributions, Anderson’s minutes needed watching. Carsley gave him 84 against Czechia, 64 against Slovenia, 63 against Germany and then started Anderson on the bench against Spain.
Anderson took it maturely on the surface but was clearly affronted inside. He tore into the Spanish when arriving after 51 minutes, scored a penalty, and didn’t celebrate, much to the later bantering of his team-mates. This is exactly the type of mentality propelling Anderson to the top. It’s a mindset most obviously defining Kevin De Bruyne, a particular favourite of Anderson’s.
He then starred over 90 minutes in the semi-final win over the Dutch. For one so young, Anderson already has substantial intelligence to his game. Take his involvement in Elliott’s first goal. He got an assist but it was a pass to Elliott earlier in the move that was so clever. It was not only the accuracy of the pass, the execution, but the timing. Anderson delayed the release, committing the Dutch midfield, and giving Elliott a yard more space to attack.
After Elliott’s second goal, restoring the lead with five minutes remaining, Anderson took the sting out of the game, going down to the corner flag, inviting challenges, eventually winning a throw-in. He still saw an opportunity for a goal, and whistled a shot over. He’s a De Bruyne fan after all. He deserves elevation to the senior squad. Anderson versus Andorra at Villa Park in September?
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Enjoy the weekend. And fingers crossed for England retaining their Uefa trophy here in Bratislava on Saturday (8pm UK kick-off). Channel 4 been getting good figures, and no surprise with England’s style and progress.
Excellent article on a fine young player who if in keeps his head and keeps developing could have a big future in the game. How Henderson is in the squad instead of him or Jones is beyond me. He offers so much more. Does seem a good level headed lad. Newcastle and Eddie Howe hated having to sell him but that the wonderful thing PSR has done now to clubs and homegrown players. It’s a joke. Even though he is fine player and I am a fan I still don’t know what type of player he is. For me he is a fairly attacking box to box player who likes to get forward but can stick his foot in to and be aggressive and has. Nice passing range. I don’t see him as a natural holding player though. Playing in a two but being allowed to get forward would work to. But he also played on the left sometimes for Forest and cut in with his dribbling ability. He is a good passer I must say. A player with a big international future unless Tuchel seriously thinks Henderson is a better option. Hope he has a good game in the final. I know you’re a fan so well done highlighting his contribution to the team this tournament.
I make Germany slight favourites for a final but won’t be shocked if England win and retain the trophy. Would be a great achievement.
Anderson has been superb, a true multi-role midfield player, thanks Henry.
What has also literally leapt out of my screen at me is the aerial prowess of Creswell at the back and attacking corners. It’s like watching Dave Watson or Gordon McQueen rising above everyone to power in a header. I write this warily when there is overdue focus on head impact injuries but it remains such an exciting part of the game.