England Have a Midfield Problem – If Solved It Could Be Thomas Tuchel’s Defining Answer

One of English football’s biggest debates in recent times was over who would make the perfect midfield out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes. In the early 2000s, the country’s national side had three of the world’s ultimate midfielders, but struggled to platform them into a successful system.

From the late Sven-Goran Eriksson through to Roy Hodgson, no manager could get it spot on. In the end, Gerrard later coined England’s ‘Golden Generation’ as “egotistical losers”, summing up just how wrong they had got it at the time.

Fast-forward to today, and England boss Thomas Tuchel has his own star-studded selection pool. After an agonising loss in the 2026 World Cup semi-final at the hands of dogged workhorses Argentina, football fans across the country quickly raised their fingers looking for a factor to blame.

One key component in July’s 2-1 defeat in North America was Tuchel’s tactical decision to switch to a back-five and defend in a low block for over half an hour following Anthony Gordon’s opening goal. While the Three Lions’ head coach had successfully used the style change against Mexico at the Azteca and Norway in the quarter-finals, it was naïve to think that the plan would work as smoothly up against Lionel Messi and co.

However, had Thomas Tuchel better selected his 26-man squad for the tournament, he’d have likely been able to change the gameplan again, when it quickly appeared it was not working. It’s not an excuse – but an observation – England ended the match with a double pivot of Elliot Anderson and Nico O’Reilly, who had started the tournament at left-back.

The midfield two was ultimately pegged back, and struggled to contend with a determined Argentina team spurred by the nature of the fiery encounter. With Declan Rice off the pitch after being forced off through injury, England’s ‘finishers’ were not befitting for a World Cup semi-final. In the period following their opener in the 55th minute, England had just 12% possession for the rest of the game – a number so low only Qatar had poorer ball retention stats in an equal period during the tournament.

Thomas Tuchel is an adaptable manager. The England boss made more in-game formation changes than any other team at the World Cup (20 across 7 matches). His next realisation may just be that his midfield didn’t provide enough control, which was why he felt the need to chop and change in search of a perfect recipe.

While Rice, Anderson and talisman Jude Bellingham are the trio credited as the best midfielders in England’s ranks, all involved in £100m+ transfer deals in the last three seasons, England must look back at past mistakes during the infamous Gerrard/Lampard/Scholes debate and recognise what they must not do.

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On the surface of things, the Three Lions’ current favoured midfield three looks balanced. But unfortunately for Thomas Tuchel, this is not club football. Players must be played in their best positions to achieve success in an international tournament – for England only get 4-6 weeks in a regular year to train and work on their team cohesion.

England lacked a midfield controller during the World Cup. Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice are probably best in the same position to one another, as is Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo. The team doesn’t need another transitional midfielder – it needs a ‘No.6’. A version of their own Rodri to take them to the next level, which is easier said than done.

Adam Wharton is the obvious option. Perhaps Everton’s James Garner fits the bill also, but the 25-year-old could be superfluous with other options in terms of his technical abilities on the transition. England just need a ‘No.6’ who stays as their ‘No.6’, and doesn’t turn into an attacking midfielder in their few months away from St George’s Park.

Ahead of England’s 3-2 encounter with Spain on Saturday, Anthony Gordon made the point that the country could start to win major tournaments if they stopped “trying to replicate Spain”. The match that followed treated the Barcelona winger’s words kindly, as the Three Lions struggled when playing out from the back, conceding twice through errors in the process, but were emphatic when playing direct.

However, England have never really tried to replicate Spain. Thomas Tuchel’s team ranked #13 for average possession in the World Cup. In fact, they’ve never replicated anybody apart from themselves, which is why they are in deep need of reinvention. They must work out what they wish to become.

Tuchel has always had the aim of turning England into a Premier League side, but hasn’t added a midfield enforcer to give them control before launching the team into attacks. The World Cup proved once again that the stars are close to aligning, and the team will be tipped as favourites at the 2028 European Championships alongside Saturday’s opponents Spain.

The side is evolving, but things have never quite clicked into gear since the German took control of the national team in January 2025. Harry Kane referenced this following the 3-2 Spain defeat, admitting to ITV Sport,”I spoke before that we reached good levels at the World Cup but didn’t quite put a full 90 minutes together. Probably similar again today.”

The way England can find another gear is by finding a way of taking control of games, and that could come with the realisation that a midfield three of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson isn’t their greatest combination.