TA: England are significantly reliant on their midfielders, they are the presence on which the team’s prospects are tied.

Hupu News November 17th The first phase of the Tuchel era is over, as England completed their long journey through the European World Cup qualifying rounds, locking in a spot at next summer's World Cup, without even dropping a point or conceding a goal in the process.

Tuchel got off to a slow start when he started working in January, but has now built an impressively strong team that plays with purpose, focus and motivation. The whole team walked to the visiting team stands to pay tribute to the England fans who came from afar. Watching their games, you can clearly see where their strengths lie, but these strengths may also be exposed as flaws over time.

This is a team that relies significantly on its strong central axis, an irreplaceable core group of players: Pickford, Stones, Rice and Kane. These are Tuchel's indispensable players and the ones on which England's prospects for the 2026 World Cup depend.

In other positions, Reece James is a very good right back, but there are others who can play that position. Elliott started well in midfield, but then there was Adam Walton. Saka is one of England's best players and when he's fit, Madueke can also be a quality substitute, just like he did for his Arsenal team-mates at club level. If Rashford is unable to play, Gordon or Eze can directly replace him.

However, this is not the case for the central axis of Pickford, Stones, Rice and Kane. Several of them have almost no qualified substitute players, not only because of their performance on the court, but especially the tone set by Stones, Rice and Kane off the court.

This is the nature of football, especially English football. We've spent much of the past few months discussing players who are either on the fringes of this team, or not even on the fringes. Last night was Bellingham's first start for England since June, with Foden still having not started an international game since March. Palmer, who was injured in September, has made just one appearance for England in 13 months.

With so much attention focused on the selection between these attackers, it's possible to overlook the importance of those players who are always on the field, the ones who will play the most important roles in the US-Mexico next year.

Pickford was rested on Sunday night but still started eight of Tuchel's 10 games in charge. Dean Henderson performed well in his place and kept a clean sheet, but there is no debate as to who England's number one goalkeeper is. Pickford has been almost flawless in four successive major tournaments and, heading into his fifth next summer, England will need him to be at his best.

Perhaps more important than Pickford is Stones. , he missed Tuchel's first three training sessions due to injury and was originally scheduled to play in midfield in the crucial away game against Serbia in September. That finally came true on Sunday, when England adopted a 3-2-2-3 formation in possession in the first half, with Stones positioned as central defender alongside Walton. Despite England's struggles, Stones has been exceptionally good. Observe that he is always on the move, always asking for the ball, directing his teammates during the game, switching positions with more advanced midfielders, and playing in the No. 8 role, and you can see a player playing on a completely different level. If England are under high pressure and facing top opponents in muggy weather next summer, their strength will be greatly reduced without Stones. He had a presence, quality and quiet charisma that set him apart.

However, there are two players even more important than Stones. Rice has started 9 of the 10 games Tuchel has coached so far and came on as a substitute in another. His importance to this team still seems to be growing, becoming a driving force in the center of the pitch and a set-piece specialist. Now that he has Anderson next to him, picking up the ball from the back and filling the space left by Rice running forward, he looks even better than before.

No one else in England can do what Rice does. Bellingham initially served as a versatile midfielder under Southgate and held that position in the last World Cup in 2022, but it is clear that Tuchel now prefers him to operate closer to the opponent's goal. Rice has also grown in prominence behind the scenes in recent months, becoming one of the team's main voices and starting to look like a veteran player at age 26.

And then there's Kane, who at 32 looks sharper than ever, reaching new levels of control in terms of touch, awareness and goal-scoring. He is better now than when he left the Premier League in the summer of 2023 to join Bayern Munich in Germany. It's not just that there's no one else like him in England, there's almost no one else like him in the world.

Kane has had very bad luck in recent years, and some minor injuries have affected his form in big competition years. The most important thing for England in the second half of the season is that he avoids these injuries this time around. If he goes into the World Cup in his current form, England will have a chance in every tournament they compete in. Beyond that, Kane is an underrated leader who has been captain for almost eight years and has fully adapted to the role.

This is not a criticism of Tuchel or his plans, every team relies on their best players. The nature of world-class talent is that they are not easily replicated or replaced, and many teams heading into next summer's World Cup will be hoping they can rely on their core as much as England relies on their pivot.

However, it's impossible not to feel a tinge of concern about how they'll cope with the unforgiving club schedule. While there is endless talk about Bellingham, Foden and others, it is these players who have comfortably taken England to the 2026 World Cup and it is these players who will shoulder the burden of competing in the big competition.