Latvia vs. England live stream, where to watch World Cup qualifying online: Elliot Anderson stakes his claim

England have craved a tempo-setting passer at the base of midfield for so long that their absence has entered footballing lore. Mere mention of Owen Hargreaves or Michael Carrick is sure to set the Three Lions' fanbase grumbling about what might have been achieved at tournaments past.

Even if England have acknowledged that maybe Sven Goran Eriksson probably should have dropped one of the big boys to make room for someone who didn't want to hare upfield, the absence of a deep-lying playmaker has persistently caused headaches. A fair few of the challenges in their agonizing progression Euro 2024 final might have been mitigated if only there was a controlling midfielder alongside Declan Rice. Kobbie Mainoo looked like a talent but not one who could make the progressive passes upfield to drag England out of the stodge. Trent Alexander-Arnold could have been that guy if he didn't have to learn how to play in midfield.

And now, like London buses, two of what England need might just have come along at once. For the time being Thomas Tuchel needs only one with Elliot Anderson ticking the two most significant boxes that any midfielder needs to to be be in this team. He pairs well with Declan Rice and he provides quick balls to the direct, dangerous attackers.

In Friday's precise, comprehensive early evisceration of Wales it was easy to convince yourself that you were looking at England's starting midfield for the next half decade. Anderson drops a little deeper to receive the ball and get it upfield. When it is in those dangerous areas Rice has license to make the sort of late darts into dangerous areas that are so effective for Arsenal.

This is a pairing that allows both players to do what they do best for their club side. For Rice that is engine stuff, finding the space and driving into it with or without the ball at his feet. He is your archetypal English midfielder: big tackles at one end, big chances at the other. The armband suits him well. You can almost hear the debates concluding with "if Rice goes, Bellingham sits".

No such need to debate against evidence with Rice and Anderson. They just click, as the senior partner noted after the Wales win. "He has taken it in his stride and he is playing exactly how he does for his club. You have a lad who is that confident and comes in and feels like they don't have to do anything different, they go on the pitch and everything is just like autopilot, the way he plays.

"We have built up a really strong relationship in midfield. We have a close relationship there. We are playing closer together, he is letting me go forward a little bit more. We are building a nice little partnership."

If Rice is the glorious old school then Anderson is what England have craved. The guy passes. A lot. No one in the Premier League has attempted more. These aren't just knock the ball sideways, cycle possession around a bit until someone else speeds up play sort of passes either. His 83 progressive passes leads the top flight by a sizeable margin from Bruno Fernandes. He ranks top five in progressive carries too. Get the ball to his feet and your team is getting up the pitch.

You will, however, recall that there are two contenders for the role of Rice partner. It would have to be a pretty special player to even rival Anderson, right? Adam Wharton might prove himself to be that. Certainly he has become something of a cause célèbre in light of his absence from the England setup, one which even Tuchel was not what the 21 year old "deserves".

It is easy to see why his case to be in the squad is attracting so much attention. Wharton is a joy to watch, technically outstanding with a left foot that dares you to not call it a wand. The Crystal Palace man has looked utterly at ease in the Premier League since departing Blackburn Rovers as a teen and was entitled to feel unlucky that Southgate never turned to him when England's midfield was mired in quick sand last summer.

Wharton possesses an eye for a pass like few others and is unafraid of playing the risky pass if it gets Palace into dangerous areas. That perhaps goes some way to explaining why a player profiled as a tempo setter from deep has the fifth most total expected assists in the Premier League this season. Per 90 minutes he ranks third to Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish among those with six hours-plus to their name.

Latvia vs. England viewing information

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 14 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
• Location: Daugavas stadions -- Riga, Latvia
• TV: Fox Sports 2 | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
• Odds: Latvia +5500; Draw +1100; England -2000

Is that enough to put him in the mix to partner Rice? Probably not. Some of that comes down to system and role fit. Since his coaching career took him to some of the biggest jobs in the game, Tuchel has come to covet midfield pivots that can keep the ball. Few are doing that better in the Premier League than Anderson, 80 passes attempted per 90 with near 90% accuracy. Wharton, for reasons that might just be specific to his club, completes 81% of his 38-ish passes.

Wharton's aggressive approach to possession suits Palace, where he has three center backs behind him. Tuchel's England don't look like they're going to play that way. Anderson looks better defensively too.

For the time being then, there really shouldn't be much debate as to who starts alongside Rice. Keep playing as he is for England and Nottingham Forest and the jersey should be Anderson's. There might be a valid question over whether a space in the squad should be found for Wharton though in that regard Jordan Henderson's qualities are a bit too easily dismissed. There were those around the England setup last summer who, according CBS Sports sources, felt Southgate's final squad was light on experience. At 35, Henderson could be the archetypal good tourist next summer.

Wharton's time may well come. For now, though, Tuchel finds himself with the sort of conundrum his predecessors might dream about. He has more than one player who might be capable of running midfield with their passing in a big tournament. To make it even better, the best of those options is pretty obvious too.