When the Football Association made Sven-Göran Eriksson the first foreign manager of the England men’s team in 2001, the widespread reaction was one of bemused indignation. In appointing a Swede to turn round the footballing fortunes of the nation, wrote one senior sportswriter, the FA had sold “our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer-throwers who spend half the year living in total darkness”.
Two decades on, the third foreign coach to be tasked with ending the years of hurt has received a slightly warmer welcome. Thomas Tuchel, a German anglophile who took Chelsea to an unexpected Uefa Champions League triumph in 2021, has been hired to reproduce that winning mentality in an England team that came agonisingly close to glory under his predecessor, Gareth Southgate. For the vast majority of English football followers, the ability to fulfil that brief at the 2026 World Cup will count far more than his willingness to sing the national anthem.
The “God Save the King” question duly came up on Wednesday as Tuchel was presented at a press conference. It was skilfully kicked into the long grass by a manager whose communication skills will serve him well in a notoriously unforgiving role. The comparative lack of fuss over Tuchel’s nationality, aside from the usual suspects, confirms the extent to which the traditionally insular culture of English football has been transformed for the better.
Over the past two decades, the domestic game has become a global magnet for foreign players and managers. Their talents have helped make the Premier League the most watched, and arguably the most exciting, in the world. At international level, the Lionesses’ triumph at Euro 22 – the first major trophy for an England team since 1966 – was masterminded by a Dutch coach turned national hero, Sarina Wiegman.
In a country where football – and especially the England men’s team – had often become a vehicle for the expression of bellicose nationalism and casual xenophobia, this has represented much-needed progress. If there is a downside, it is that indigenous talent is being squeezed out at the highest levels of the national sport.
In this season’s Premier League, none of the current top six sides is managed by an English coach. For the England job, well-qualified candidates such as the Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe, and the former Brighton boss Graham Potter appear to have been passed over. After a period in which the FA invested in a much-publicised plan to develop an English footballing DNA – raising both playing and coaching standards – Tuchel’s appointment does not seem much of a vote of confidence in that process.
Such considerations will, of course, be forgotten should the Three Lions finally reach the promised land in the next World Cup. Having twice fallen at the final hurdle under Southgate, England’s footballers are now led by a coach with a proven ability to get teams over the line. If Tuchel can do the same with international football’s perennial underachievers, his status as an honorary Englishman will be assured.
