“Right now, I could say that everything played out perfectly,” Thomas Tuchel says, as he reflects on having led England through qualifying to the World Cup finals tournament: phase one of the mission complete. It does not feel incongruous for the head coach to talk about perfection – partly because he is constantly chasing it and also because, well, the results have been perfect.
When Tuchel’s team defeated Albania 2-0 in Tirana on Sunday, it meant they topped their group with eight wins out of eight and with eight clean sheets. Never before has a European nation gone through World Cup qualification, playing at least six ties, without conceding. Spain will emulate them if they beat Turkey at home and keep a clean sheet in their sixth and final qualifier on Tuesday night. The only thing is that Tuchel knows perfection is unattainable – particularly in international football.
