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Thomas Tuchel has dropped a massive hint about his potential midfield pairing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be staged next summer. England continued their faultless march toward the 2026 World Cup with a measured and professional 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday, and the German manager wants his troops to tap into the winning mentality ahead of the global showpiece event.

• Subs transform the match as England extend historic run

  Bukayo Saka’s crisp volley set the tone early on, but it was the late-game surge led by Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze that restored England’s control and secured all three points. Serbia frustrated Tuchel’s side with a compact defensive shape, and England needed patient buildup play to break through. Tuchel turned to his bench early in the second half, releasing a wave of attacking talent that immediately shifted the rhythm. Eze capped a lively cameo with a superb late strike, doubling England’s advantage, while Foden and Bellingham came on as substitutes to help the Three Lions see things out.

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  Anderson emerges as Tuchel’s midfield revelation

  Tuchel seems increasingly convinced that Elliot Anderson is the man to partner Declan Rice at the World Cup. Against Serbia, Anderson delivered another commanding performance. Although he is adept at playing in a more advanced role at Nottingham Forest, the player has adapted seamlessly to a deeper role for England. He averages 118 touches per 90 minutes in England’s qualifying run, which is a figure usually reserved for seasoned international metronomes. 

  Tuchel made no attempt to downplay his growing reliance on the 23-year-old: "Elliot and Declan are at the moment ahead in midfield. They are a very good pair and complement each other very well. They are performing at the highest level for club and country. Biggest complement to both of them. We took Declan out [of the last match] after 65 minutes to have the chance to play again, Elliot played 90 minutes and it is his first season to play international games as well as for Nottingham Forest, he is a key player there too."

• Tuchel calls for hunger as records fall

  The victory against Serbia took England to seven wins from seven qualifiers, boasting an astonishing 20 goals scored and not a single goal shipped in. No European nation has ever reached this stage of a World Cup qualifying cycle with a 100 per cent clean sheet and winning record. Despite England’s flawless defensive record, Tuchel insisted he has never spoken about chasing history. For him, the focus remains on mentality, not milestones.

  "I didn't speak a single word about that. We made sure we had yesterday the training session that we had, the quality and mentality of the guys who didn't play was on the highest level which was pure pleasure to watch and be part of," he said. "It showed me again that we are building and growing in the right way. Everyone is ready to play, everyone is desperate to start. The competition is still on, the hunger is on to be on the pitch tomorrow. That is the most important.

  "Today we prepared for Albania and we prepared our offensive solutions, spoke about the defensive structure of Albania like always and had a tactical training session. Everything we talk about is about the process and about the things that we can influence. We need to get the foundation right to have a chance to have these records. Just by thinking about it or by talking about it nothing will change, we need to deliver tomorrow again. The feeling and the trust is absolutely there because I witnessed this in camp. I trust my players to perform again tomorrow."

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  England turn focus to final test in Albania

  England now travel to Albania for their final qualifier, seeking to complete an unprecedented perfect campaign. While qualification is already assured, the fixture offers Tuchel another chance to refine combinations and evaluate players who are pushing for greater involvement.

  "In general, I just hope and I feel the hunger for us to win and to achieve something is bigger than the fear of losing and the fear of maybe losing a record of clean sheets," he said. "These things just happen. We are well aware that we put a lot of effort in to defend as a team and it's only possible to have so many clean sheets because we defend properly as a team which is the case but you also need a bit of luck in certain moments. We should not focus too much on what we have to lose, we should be more excited about the next possibility to show our quality and to have another exciting and intense match."

  With Rice and Anderson emerging as the heartbeat of Tuchel’s midfield, the manager appears closer than ever to identifying the foundation of the team he hopes will carry England deep into the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

The Atlanta Braves will play host to MLB's All-Star weekend in 2025, with Truist Park set to serve as the site for both the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby.

Among the participants in this year's Derby include the Braves' own Ronald Acuña Jr., who is making his third appearance in the event.

spoke to Acuña ahead of the derby as part of his new collaboration with Call of Duty Mobile, which introduced Acuña's "La Bestia" baseball bat that was added to the game as an in-game cosmetic. Acuña said he plays Call of Duty Mobile regularly, and even more so while going through his recovery and rehabilitation from the ACL injury that ended his 2024 season early and delayed the start of his '25 campaign.

Now gearing up for the derby, the 27-year-old discussed why the event being at home at Truist Park makes the occasion even more special.

"It means a lot to me. Being in the Home Run Derby in my home stadium in Atlanta and in front of the home crowd is an absolute dream come true, and I can only hope to win," Acuña said, speaking via translator.

No player in Braves franchise history has ever won the Home Run Derby, so Acuña has the chance to become the very first. To do so at his home stadium with the fans backing him would make that accomplishment even more special.

If Acuña were able to achieve the feat, he'd join a select group of players in the event's history to win it at home, including Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg, who won at Wrigley Field in 1990, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds, who won in 2015 at the Great American Ball Park, ex-Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper who took home the trophy in '18 at Nationals Park and Adolis Garcia, who won in 2024 at Globe Life Field in front of the Texas Rangers faithful.

Like many other baseball fans and players, Acuña also grew up watching the Home Run Derby. When asked about his favorite Derby growing up, he said it was 2011 when New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano won it all while his father Jose was pitching to him.

Acuña spoke highly of his competitors, referring to all of them as "incredible players," but he will be hoping the support from the home crowd in Atlanta can help propel him to victory over the rest of the pack.

Well, that was about as perfect a night of Champions League action as Arsenal could have hoped for.

Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to Czechia to take on Slavia Prague on Tuesday night, and while they were without the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, they came away with all three points.

More than that, though, the Gunners scored three goals, fielded the youngest player in the competition in Max Dowman, and most crucially of all, kept another clean sheet.

There were standout performances across the pitch, including one player who’s starting to look like Arsenal’s new Gabriel Magalhães.

Arsenal's standout stars vs Slavia Prague

Starting up top, and while he had a quiet first half, Mikel Merino once again found himself on the scoresheet in the second half. In fact, he ended up there twice.

The Spaniard’s first came just 35 seconds into the second 45 when he got on the end of a wonderful Leandro Trossard cross.

Then, 22 minutes later, he put the game well and truly to bed by heading home another cross from Declan Rice.

However, it wasn’t just the Merino show, as other starters like Jurrien Timber and Gabriel looked exceptional once again.

The former was as sturdy at the back as ever, but also, as he has all season, was a massive threat going forward.

One moment, he was overlapping on the right, and then the next, he was surging through the middle of the park.

Likewise, while he failed to get his customary goal from a corner, Gabriel was as imperious as ever.

In his 95 minutes of action, he made four clearances, blocked two shots, recovered the ball three times and won four of six aerial duels, which is impressive considering the absurd size of Slavia’s centre-forward.

There can be no doubt that the former LOSC Lille monster is now one of Arsenal’s most important players, and so it’s a good thing that another starter on Tuesday is starting to look just like him.

Arsenal's new Gabriel

If he could, Arteta would undoubtedly have a team of 11 Gabriels.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Alas, unfortunately for him, or fortunately for opposition set-piece coaches, cloning is yet to be invented.

However, there is one summer signing who is starting to look more and more like the Brazilian: Piero Hincapie.

Yes, the tough-tackling Ecuadorian “warrior,” as dubbed by one analyst, might still be finding his way in English football, but he’s already looking like another masterful addition to the Gunners’ defensive unit.

The same analyst points out that the 23-year-old shares several similarities with the Gunners’ number six, including his mobility, aggressiveness, aerial threat, and the fact that he’s a left-footer.

With all that in mind, it was hardly a surprise to see him put in such an impressive performance on Tuesday night.

For example, in his 73 minutes of blood-pumping action, he won 100% of his tackles, made one interception, won 100% of his aerial and ground duels, made one clearance, recovered the ball once, took 42 touches and completed 100% of his dribbles.

Ultimately, it truly was as complete a defensive performance from Hincapie as could’ve been asked for, and one that should see him get more minutes.

Moreover, his fiery Gabriel-esque attitude and desire are going to make him a fan favourite very quickly indeed.

Arsenal star is starting to play like Cazorla & he's not even a midfielder

The incredible international is starting to show shades of Cazorla for Arteta and Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 4, 2025