Declan Rice header keeps unbeaten England rolling in trudge past Andorra

"It was nothing more than a contractual obligation fulfilled. There was little to see here at Villa Park. Or get excited about. England beat Andorra, as they always do. They did not concede against them, as always. And Thomas Tuchel's record in World Cup qualifying Group K now shows the maximum number of points from four ties and four clean sheets. The manager had talked about bringing greater aggression; more speed and penetration, helped by a cleaner and simpler approach."

"Tuchel had likened the challenge of getting through Andorra's low block to chewing gum. In other words, deeply monotonous, something to make your face muscles ache. Noni Madueke forced an own goal from the Andorra defender, Christian Garcia, midway through the first half and Declan Rice made it 2-0 midway through the second. The statistics showed that Andorra touched the ball four times inside the England area."

"The international break for England was always going to be all about Serbia. Tuchel had sought to set the tone by going with his strongest possible lineup, one that featured players in their very best positions as he sees it, although there were exceptions. The manager had suggested Dan Burn and Marc Guehi were in competition at left centre-half. He started both, Guehi preferred to Ezri Konsa in the right-sided role. Rice and Elliot Anderson are the No 8s in the squad."

England defeated Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park, extending Thomas Tuchel's World Cup qualifying record to four wins and four clean sheets. Noni Madueke forced an own goal midway through the first half and Declan Rice scored midway through the second. England dominated possession and struggled to break down Andorra's compact low block, which limited Andorra to only four touches inside the England area. The performance was routine and lacked intensity compared with some previous fixtures, though it was an improvement on the earlier 1-0 away win in Barcelona. Tuchel selected a near-strongest lineup, starting both Dan Burn and Marc Guehi and deploying Rice and Elliot Anderson as central midfielders. Focus immediately turned to the tougher away match in Belgrade against Serbia.

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