Elliot Anderson was tasked with playing on his own in midfield as England beat Panama 2-0 in their final World Cup group game.
The Forest midfielder didn’t partner Declan Rice for the first time in an England shirt, with the Arsenal midfielder nursing a very minor niggle that ruled him out of the contest.
For the first time in this tournament, there was more scrutiny on Anderson, with his £116 million move to Manchester City edging ever closer prior to the contest.
After the game, the national media dropped their verdicts, and a lazy narrative has already started to emerge in true English media fashion about the Forest man
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The midfielder is set for a £116m move to Manchester City
English media score Elliot Anderson as England beat Panama
Despite Anderson operating in the midfield engine room on his own as England tried to go for goals against the lowly-ranked Panama, some lazy narratives are already doing the rounds.
It would appear as though media outlets are already using the £116 million price tag as a stick to beat Anderson with and just because he didn’t excel in one game, people are now questioning whether he’s worth it.
The Guardian went with a 5/10 and jumped on a very lazy narrative, saying: “Far too isolated on his own in central midfield. Not the performance of a player worth £116m.”
The Telegraph also went with a 5/10 but offered more structured analysis, saying: “Had an important role, getting put on set-pieces in the absence of Declan Rice, who was rested for this match after two games. He kept it neat and tidy in the centre of the park and sometimes got England forward with intelligent 20-yard passes. Tried his luck from long distance and crossed for a Rashford chance, but Panama also attacked through his area as he was often too isolated.”
The Standard gave him a 7/10 and felt he played very well: “Took a while to get into the game but produced some important tackles and kept England ticking over.”
Finally, the Independent scored him a 6/10 and said: “Used possession well and contributed in the attacking phases but found himself overrun on occasion by the Panama counter, being played through a bit too easily in the middle of the park. Had a moment to forget when he was dispossessed in his own half soon after the break, from which Panama very nearly scored. Stepped into the role of England corner-taker in Declan Rice’s stead and did well for himself – his crossing in general was on point.”
Now, Anderson will focus completely on playing for England in a knockout match for the first time on Wednesday night against DR Congo.
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The talented player is improving with every single performance on the international stage, and it will now be fascinating to see how he continues to perform as the tournament really gets going.
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