Thomas Tuchel’s England side have been warned that they’re still not ‘on the identical level’ as 4 other sides heading into next summer’s World Cup.
The Three Lions ensured they ended their qualifying campaign with an ideal record as they defeated Albania 2-0 in Tirana on Sunday evening.
It was hardly a vintage display from England on the night, however the visitors were capable of eke out a hard-fought win courtesy of a second-half brace from captain Harry Kane.
What’s more, an eighth straight clean sheet saw Tuchel’s men turn out to be the primary European nation to ever go a complete World Cup qualifying campaign of over six matches without conceding.
Despite only arriving within the post at first of the 12 months, Tuchel has quickly got to grips with this England side, with impressive victories away at Serbia and at home to Wales showcasing their potential under the German.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
Metro’s football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive evaluation, FPL suggestions and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – join, it’s an open goal.
England at the moment are not back in motion until March next 12 months, when preparations for the World Cup in north America will start to come back to the boil.
And the Three Lions will rightly be considered amongst the favourites for the tournament, given their impressive form and up to date record in men’s major tournaments.
Nevertheless, former Chelsea defender and France international Frank Leboeuf is yet to be convinced by this current England side and, specifically, their decision to rent Tuchel as Gareth Southgate’s everlasting successor.
‘I’m really keen on Thomas Tuchel,’ Leboeuf told OLBG. ‘Nevertheless, I imagine a giant footballing country like England doesn’t need a German coach to win the World Cup.
‘It might have been difficult for me to just accept, purely from a cultural perspective.
‘Similarly, I wouldn’t be completely satisfied to see an English coach for the French national team. We had one once, or perhaps a Romanian coach, within the ’60s. I feel big football nations must have a coach from their very own country.
‘When Thomas Tuchel was nominated, I said I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. With all due respect to Thomas Tuchel and the English Federation, if he can win the World Cup, good for them.
Will England win the World Cup next summer?
‘But for me, there’s all the time something going unsuitable with the English national team at a certain time.’
And people issues are why Leboeuf suggests that 4 other teams were acting at a better level and ought to be considered favourites over England.
‘That’s why I’d say, ‘wait and see.’ It’s why I rank Portugal, Spain, Argentina, and France ahead of England,’ he added when asked to evaluate England’s probabilities next summer.
‘You’ll be able to’t deny the talent is there, and in the event that they can find the chemistry, it’s going to work. The most important issue any national team coach of England faces is that up to now, especially in my playing days, clubs were more vital than the national team.
‘It was hard to seek out chemistry because players hated one another week in, week out. Now, it’s getting just a little higher; it seems they appreciate one another and are able to work together.
‘So, it’s possible. But I don’t see England at the identical level because the others straight away.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: England set incredible World Cup record after 2-0 win against Albania
MORE: FIFA urged to drop Morocco as 2030 World Cup co-host as a consequence of ‘barbaric’ street dog killings
MORE: Portugal plan grievance to FIFA over Cristiano Ronaldo red card