A comprehensive 2-0 victory against Serbia on a drenched Thursday at Wembley has placed England in contention to join an exclusive club alongside Italy and Belgium.
Thomas Tuchel’s men carried on their momentous run with a win against their gritty opponents.
Goals from Arsenal forwards Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze meant the Three Lions made it seven wins from seven matches in World Cup qualifying. Only Albania in Tirana on Sunday stand in their way of sealing a clean sweep.
Sylvinho’s Albania could spoil the party on Sunday but another victory without conceding will see England join Italy and Belgium in completing the qualifiers without shipping a goal.
All be it the opponents for England have varied from 151st to 21st in the FIFA rankings, meaning the group has been welcoming for Tuchel to settle.
Some feel as though the journey has been more like a ‘victory lap’ but Tuchel opposed this perspective.
‘We take it serious,’ the German said. ‘These are World Cup qualifiers. We want to build on what we’ve built and keep on going.’
If England were to join the exclusive club, they would follow Italy and Belgium who completed the same feat in 1974 of not conceding a goal in qualifying.
Ironically, Belgium didn’t actually qualify for the World Cup in Germany that year. The Red Devils matched Netherlands’ record of four wins and two draws, but couldn’t progress to the next stage due to goal difference.
The Netherlands had racked up an impressive goal difference of +22, which included a 9-0 thrashing against Norway where Johan Neeskens netted a hat-trick. Belgium’s goal difference, however, was only +12.
If Tuchel’s side were to achieve the feat, it would be the second time that England have qualified for a World Cup without conceding.
That first instance came in 1990. Back then, Bobby Robson’s squad qualified and had a good run at the World Cup by finishing in fourth place after losing the third-place play-off to Italy.
Tuchel would love to follow a similar path but end up one better and lift the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
From the start of his tenure, Tuchel has worked tirelessly to develop a stubborn defence.
Throughout his managerial career, his teams have always had a strong defence, most notably during Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2021.
Against Serbia, Tuchel gave a debut to Man City’s Nico O’Reilly at left back, and he lined up in defence alongside Aston Villa‘s Ezri Konsa, Chelsea‘s Reece James and O’Reilly’s City teammate John Stones.
The debutant performed well, playing the full 90 minutes and he was even involved in Saka’s goal.
Speaking after full-time, O’Reilly revealed it ‘was a dream come true’ to play for England.
He said: ‘My mum, stepdad, sister, for them to watch me play here at Wembley is a crazy feeling.’
Tuchel was also full of praise for his defence as he added: ‘Compliments to the back four. They had to work hard and be focused all the time. Serbia has individual qualities and is also a physical team. They came with a new energy, so well done.’
Credit also has to be given to England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who recorded his 10th consecutive clean sheet to extend his remarkable record-breaking run.
In fact, the only goals England have conceded under Tuchel came in the 3-1 defeat by Senegal in June when Pickford was rested.
Things have been clicking in an attacking sense too, with Barcelona loanee Marcus Rashford finding form of late.
Roy Keane was adamant the Man United exile should be in the side ahead of Anthony Gordon as teams ‘wouldn’t want to face him’ next summer.
England now travel to Albania for Sunday’s fixture as they attempt to join the exclusive club once again after 35 years.
Even though this may not be at the forefront of Tuchel’s mind it would be a nice accolade and a boost of confidence going into the World Cup.
In the meantime, fans will be closely observing the combinations Tuchel goes with in Tirana and how they pan out.
