Elliot Anderson: England's Indispensable Midfielder

The Rise of Elliot Anderson

Elliot Anderson is running. It’s the 88th minute against Croatia, and the game is won, and the game is done, and this is the 60th game of his season and there are deeper challenges to come. But as long as the ball is loose, he’s going to chase it down: first Josip Sutalo and then Josko Gvardiol, a simple recycling of defensive possession rapidly mutating into an unpleasant ordeal.

Anderson's Key Role in England's Midfield

Anderson has assumed the role of England's spirit animal, its mathematical constant, its barometer, the reliable rock to which – for better and worse – England’s fate over the coming weeks will be inescapably yoked. In short, if you want to know how England are doing in the coming weeks, you basically just need to watch him.

Analyzing Anderson's Playing Style

Central to Anderson’s role, paradoxically, is the fact that it is not always a central role. Indeed, if you look at his heat map from the Croatia game the most striking element was how much of it he spent in wide areas: linking play with the full-backs, creating overloads and triangles, playing the first-time long ball over the top that appears to be a specific and very deliberate tactic.

The Impact of Anderson's Versatility

Anderson can genuinely do it all: pass, tackle, screen, jockey, cross, shoot. He’s good in the air, strong in duels, delivers a mean set piece, will quite literally run all day. Is there a realistic role in this team that does not, in some way, sell him short?

The Future of Elliot Anderson

Already, Manchester City are circling and a nine-figure transfer feels inevitable. This is a player about to arrive in a very big way. And perhaps this is what makes him so compelling to watch right now. You know that on some level he must still be raw and fragile, and yet he never really looks it.