Coach Thomas Tuchel still has many questions to answer regarding England's attack. However, in fact, that problem comes from his possessing too much talent to choose from.
On the contrary, the difficulties in the lower line - especially in the defensive midfield position - are much more serious. This is the area where he really lacks solutions.
For the first time, Tuchel publicly admitted something that many people have felt for a long time. Is John Stones a leading candidate for the role of defensive midfielder or the number 6 of the England team in the upcoming World Cup?
"We don't have any 6-digit, classic and really solid numbers. Except for John Stones, who meets these criteria.
We have top players and we will find a suitable pair. We need flexibility, because anything can happen. And injuries can come to anyone," said the England captain.
However, in reality, John Stones had to leave the England coaching camp due to a muscle injury. This means he will not be able to try his hand at a defensive midfield role until at least next month. At that time, Tuchel will only have 3 training sessions left before announcing the official list for the World Cup.
Consecutive injuries made it difficult for Tuchel to find a solution for the No. 6 position. He called up Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson for the first time. However, the Crystal Palace midfielder was also forced to withdraw due to a knee injury before the whole team gathered at St George's Park.
That means even with the "Three Lions" debut against Andorra at Villa Park, there is still a big question mark about his place in the priority order. Will he be seen as a long-term backup for Stones, competing directly with Wharton, or just behind more experienced options like Jordan Henderson?
Jude Bellingham is almost certain to take on the No. 10 role of the England team. Behind him are world-class reserves including Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice is still an irreplaceable pillar in the number 8 position. However, with the current personnel picture, it is likely that Tuchel will continue to experiment and find optimal solutions for the midfield.
Tuchel was particularly disappointed with his players' poor form in the June series. England only had a narrow 1-0 victory over Andorra, then suffered a heavy 1-3 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match at home.
Curtis Jones was unexpectedly deployed as a right-back, Reece James played on the left, while the two 10s were placed side by side with the two wingers. Henderson is the only name to play a deep-lying defensive midfield role.
Fans can expect to see less adventurous experimentation when England meet Andorra again, as well as in the entire upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign.
Tuchel has stressed to his players that the preparation for the World Cup really begins from this moment. He has proactively shortened the call-up list, making it more difficult to win a starting position. Thereby, Tuchel both upgrades the selected players and promotes fierce individual competition within the national team.
"I always have a clear plan in mind. The first two training sessions will be for experimentation and learning. The third, fourth and fifth rounds will focus on increasing competitiveness and narrowing the squad.
We need to find an idea that everyone can agree on. And then people put their ego at the club and say okay, this is the way we will continue - Tuchel shared.
