Coach Thomas Tuchel affirmed that he wanted to bring the England team more "clarity". And in football, nothing is more obvious than crosses into the box - a specialty that has been associated with the "Three Lions" playing style for decades, especially in the classic 4-4-2 formation.
Tuchel emphasizes the restoration of core values - simplicity, directness, and efficiency. The 2-0 victory over Andorra was the clearest proof, as both of England's goals came from the right wing.
The question is can England maintain this efficiency when playing in harsh conditions in the US? Tuchel admitted that the team needs to develop more tactical models, because the biggest concern is when facing tight defensive formations.
The German captain also warned that the "Three Lions" are not allowed to be subjective in the qualifying campaign. They have an away match against Serbia next week before the end of the FIFA Days in September.
And paradoxically, few teams understand England's approach better than Andorra, despite being seen as the ones blocking the way. However, Andorra was no longer as easily bullied as before.
The last time Andorra lost by 5 goals in the qualifiers was 4 years ago, and the opponent at that time was England. Since then, this team has only conceded an average of more than 2 goals per match and only conceded 4 goals twice.
Of course, this is not an excuse for an unconvincing qualifiers, as fans are still waiting for signs of a breakthrough from England under Tuchel. The World Cup is approaching, but the "Three Lions" have not shown any clear progress.
Up to now, England have won all qualifiers. They won with a simple, but effective style of play. Elliot Anderson played well in midfield. Noni Madueke is active, creating many pressuring situations. Eberechi Eze regretted missing the opportunity to score, but his performance was still in a controlled position.
Just like the whole match, it seemed to be limited to minimalist things. But perhaps behind that is a deeper message, that England are building a foundation, before taking a big leap forward.
Last week, when Tuchel sat and talked to the media after announcing the call-up list, he was asked if he would consider changing his pressing style of play.
"Football now has too many things going on, to the point that sometimes people are overwhelmed. With men, with areas, deep defense, three defences, four defences.
Pulling the ball back from the far end, the ball was long from the goalkeeper. Everything has returned and changed constantly between matches, even in one match. Husband and wife are back" - Tuchel replied.
And now, the crosses are also returning. Of course, this tactic has never completely disappeared, but data shows that the frequency of use has decreased, especially during Pep Guardiola's peak.
In that context, England under Tuchel still often show off sharp wing changes in the middle. Especially in games where they are expected to win.
However, as Tuchel pointed out, football has changed a lot. Just look at the Premier League every week, it is easy to see that teams highly value players with physical strength.
A typical example is Arsenal - a team that contributed 4 names to the England team. They are not necessarily the brightest stars of the "Gunners", but they are all impressive physical machines.
Declan Rice was the clearest proof, when he jumped high to head the ball to make it 2-0 against Andorra. That goal came from a typical cross from Reece James. This was a quality pass, and perhaps also the reason why Tuchel is not too concerned about the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold in this list.
Another Arsenal player, Noni Madueke, also contributed his footsteps in the opening goal. From his uncomfortable cross, Christian Garcia awkwardly headed the ball into his own net.
As Tuchel himself said, many qualities that seemed outdated are returning. And best of all, England should know how to take advantage of when they have quality players to do that.
