As they like to say in the US, dee-fense wins championships. The sentiment is not an exclusively American thing. “Attack wins you games, defence win you titles,†Sir Alex Ferguson once said. And he should know, having won quite a lot of them with Manchester United.
As England look forward to next summerâ€s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, the idea has come to resonate, mainly because of how miserly they have been at the back under Thomas Tuchel.
They will secure automatic qualification with two games to spare if they beat Latvia on Tuesday night. It ought not be beyond them given Latvia could only draw 2-2 here with the Group K whipping boys, Andorra, on Saturday. And given England have been virtually impregnable in the campaign under Tuchel.
The table shows five wins out of five with five clean sheets, Jordan Pickford keeping them all. The goalkeeper returned another last Thursday in the 3-0 friendly win against Wales at Wembley, his eighth in a row for England, breaking a record he shared with Gordon Banks. You have to go back a year to find the last England game when Pickford conceded; the 2-1 Nations League defeat against Greece at Wembley. Tuchelâ€s England have been breached in one match – the 3-1 friendly defeat against Senegal in June when Dean Henderson was in goal.
That was no slight on Henderson, rather a reflection of Senegalâ€s superior quality compared with everything else Tuchel has faced. This really cannot be overlooked. Wales are the next-highest country at No 30 while a Serbia team in disarray are 34th. Albania are 66th; Latvia and Andorra well into the triple digits.
Drill a little deeper into the numbers and it is hard to ignore the one about how Pickford has been required to make two saves during qualification; one against Latvia, the other against Serbia. But this is not only about Pickford, rather the unit he anchors. As he was quick to point out, it is about the XI as a defensive collective, starting with the captain, Harry Kane, up front.
It is about good habits and relationships; the setting of standards. If it is not the glamorous side of the game, the one that excites the fans, it remains fundamental. England were criticised for their lack of spark under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024. Their resilience almost overcame everything as they conceded four goals en route to the final, which they lost 2-1 against Spain.
Jordan Pickford made his name for England at Russia 2018 with his penalty shootout heroics against Colombia. Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
“What weâ€ve got is that solid base,†Pickford said. “Once we know weâ€re defending like that as a unit, it gives us the freedom to go and create chances at the other end. Keeping clean sheets is good, but if you keep having that momentum defensively, you get better positions on the ball and you create more opportunities to score and win the game.â€
Pickford, who is primed to sign a new long-term contract at Everton, has been the constant in Tuchelâ€s defensive unit during qualification and it feels as though it is John Stones, who is back to fitness, and Marc Guéhi as the preferred centre-half pairing, with Ezri Konsa also pushing. The worries are in the full-back positions.
It seems like a long time ago that Southgate was ribbed for having a right-back fetish. Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are out of the picture and Trent Alexander-Arnold does not appear to have Tuchelâ€s trust. He is also injured at present. Reece James is the first choice, but his fitness problems are well documented; he, too, is out with an injury. Konsa is in line to fill in against Latvia, as he did against Wales.
At left-back, Tino Livramento started in the 5-0 away win against Serbia in September, which was surely Tuchelâ€s biggest game. As such, Livramento is probably the player in possession of the shirt, although he is another injury casualty. Which leaves Djed Spence, who, like Livramento, has been repurposed from right-back, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has lost his place in Arsenalâ€s starting lineup. Tuchel has made clear that he needs Lewis-Skelly to “perform at club level on a regular basis … to just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough to stay the whole yearâ€.
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Pickford is poised to win his 80th cap against Latvia and he is seeking to play at a third World Cup, having made his name at Russia 2018 with his penalty shootout heroics against Colombia in the last 16. “Every time you get that England call-up, you should be proud,†he said. “My mum texts me every time after the announcement to say well done and congrats.â€
Pickford has had his doubters; those who pick holes in his technique, who say he is not tall enough. But there is a reason why he has remained the undisputed No 1 – his shot-stopping reflexes are excellent and his concentration levels have improved as he has grown in experience. The most recent example came against Wales when he was a virtual bystander for the first 55 minutes and then made two good saves.
“Iâ€m always moving with the game,†Pickford said. “I always stay in the moment when I am not doing anything. My coaches used to say: ‘Donâ€t be bored, donâ€t go trying to invent work, let the work come to you. If there is a cross 16 yards out, donâ€t come and think you have to go and do it because you have not done anything for 15 minutes.†That is something I have definitely learned and there is a big improvement on that side of it.â€
Of Pickfordâ€s remarkable England statistics, one stands out. He has made a single error that has led to a goal – in the 2-2 friendly draw against Belgium in March 2024. He has never let England down. He intends to be the foundation stone for glory.
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