Alex Scott's debut start fuels England's 7-0 Croatia rout as Tuchel's midfield puzzle clears

Alex Scott marked his first England start with a commanding performance as the Three Lions demolished Croatia 7-0 in their UEFA Nations League fixture, securing back-to-back wins under Thomas Tuchel.

The Bournemouth midfielder, 23, had travelled to England’s pre-tournament training camp in Florida ahead of the summer World Cup but did not earn a cap in the friendlies and was subsequently left out of the squad entirely. Having come on as a substitute against the Czech Republic earlier in the camp, Scott was handed his first start in Croatia and looked immediately at home in Tuchel’s midfield.

“It gave me more hunger,” Scott said. “There’s so many top players for this country — it’s a tough squad to get into. There were no bad feelings about not going to the World Cup. I went to the prep camp, I wanted to learn as much as I could, and it helped me coming into this camp and starting to play games.”

Scott described the dressing room environment as a key factor in his rapid integration. “The lads and the group we’ve got here have made it so comfortable for me,” he said. “I spoke to a few of them before the game and they said, ‘Go on and do what you do for your club, be confident, be brave.’ I just wanted to play my normal football.”

Tuchel had previously described Scott as the most in-form midfielder in the Premier League and acknowledged it was a difficult call to omit him over the summer. Scott, for his part, said the manager offered no specific consolation — only the straightforward instruction to keep performing. “I wouldn’t say he said anything specific, probably just get your head down and keep playing as well as possible,” Scott said. “I’ve started the season pretty well with Bournemouth and that was important to me.”

Scott also pushed back on the perception that England lack midfielders capable of controlling possession, and spoke warmly of his partnership with Elliot Anderson — a player he knows well from England under-21 duty. He reserved particular praise for the attacking options ahead of him. “Seven goals and we were deadly from the off,” Scott said. “That front four we’ve got, and the players coming off the bench, is frightening. It’s an honour to be part of this group.”