England manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted his sole focus is on maintaining his players' hunger to compete, deliberately avoiding any talk of potential records they could set in Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Albania.
Building Momentum Towards the World Cup
As Tuchel prepares to mark the end of his first year in charge, the match in Tirana presents a significant opportunity. The Three Lions arrive having already secured early World Cup qualification last month and have now won all seven of their Group K matches without conceding a single goal.
This impressive defensive record prompted opposition manager Sylvinho to jokingly describe it as "disgusting". A victory on Sunday would make England the first European side to play at least six World Cup qualifiers and win them all without letting in a goal.
Tuchel's Philosophy: Process Over Records
However, Tuchel revealed that this potential milestone has not been a topic of discussion within the camp. "We didn't speak a single word about that," he stated firmly during his pre-match press conference at the Air Albania Stadium.
He emphasised that his attention is fixed on the team's mentality and preparation. "The quality and the mentality of the guys that didn't play was on the highest level, which was a pure pleasure," Tuchel said, praising the attitude shown in training. "It just showed me that we are going in the right way."
The German manager believes that focusing on performance is the only path to success. "Everything we talk about is about the process and the things we can influence. We need to get the foundation right to have a chance to get these records. Just by thinking about it or talking about it, nothing will change."
Squad News and Tactical Outlook
England will be without defender Ezri Konsa, who withdrew from the 23-man squad with a calf complaint. This guarantees at least one change from the starting line-up that secured a 2-0 win against Serbia on Thursday.
That match saw impressive cameos from substitutes Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, and Phil Foden. Foden was notably deployed in a false nine role after replacing captain Harry Kane.
When asked if he would consider going to next summer's World Cup with just one recognised striker, Tuchel was clear. "No, I don't think so," he responded. "It is possible but I don't think that will happen. There is still a long way to go."
He elaborated on his squad selection philosophy, indicating a preference for a balanced group. "We will go with a very balanced squad, I guess this as I've never picked a World Cup squad. This is something for between March and May but the general idea is to pick a balanced squad with different characters and qualities."
While not completely ruling out the possibility, Tuchel confirmed it is "very likely we will have more classic number nines" in the final selection for the tournament.
