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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Michael Butler and Tom Davies

Thomas Tuchel discusses anthem and pressure at England unveiling – as it happened

Thomas Tuchel FA England

Right, we’re going to wrap up this liveblog now, and you can tuck into Jacob Steinberg’s full report from Thomas Tuchel’s unveiling:

“I’m sorry, I have a German passport,” he said. “Everyone has their opinion and I can understand when someone says: ‘I would fancy an English coach for an English team.’ All of those supporters maybe felt my passion for the English Premier League and the country and how I love to live and work here.

“I think we deserve a fair chance and the credit for having a good record in the country and never being shy of how much we love the country and love working with the players in the Premier League. Maybe this counts towards a British edge on my German passport. We will try to convince them with results and the way we play.”

And with that, I’ll bid you goodnight.

Let’s watch and listen to the man himself, unmediated:

Tuchel’s compatriot Daniel Farke has given his England appointment the thumbs up. “He knows this job, he has so much quality as a coach,” said the Leeds manager. “It’s a good solution – he knows the mentality, the football culture, the language in England.”

'Astounding': German media reacts

Returning to the theme of the German reaction to all this, here’s a dispatch from Kate Connolly in Berlin:

Bild went in even harder. “The motherland of football is getting a German Papa. Astounding!” wrote the tabloid’s leading football commentator, Matthias Brügelmann, appearing to rub salt into the wounds of the Daily Mail’s anguish, expressed, on its back page on Wednesday, as: “A Dark Day for England [as] Three Lions gamble on a GERMAN”. Such a mean, even xenophobic tone should act as the only warning signal Tuchel needs as to the kind of ferocious treatment he can expect from the UK tabloids, wrote Der Spiegel, pointing out that they had “unloaded all their anger on him even before his first game.”

Anyone else reading the word “astounding” in the voice of the Gruffalo?

The length, and depth, of the Southgate era meant we stopped talking, for a little while, about the historically enduring pattern of England managerial appointments – namely that each new England manager will be the diametric opposite of their predecessor, before the pendulum swings back with the next one. I was reminded of that when reading sirmorbach’s post BTL

Southgate was a fantastic man manager and, tactically, average at best.

Tuchel is a fantastic tactician and, managing people, average at best.

Yer Football Daily is here:

Confirmation of the Football Association appointing Thomas Tuchel as head coach of the England national team has prompted a variety of responses from the usual quarters, much of it measured and an unsurprisingly large amount of it totally and utterly deranged.

Harry Kane has hailed Tuchel’s arrival. “A really great appointment,” cheered the England captain of his former boss at Bayern. “He’s a top top coach and a great person who’ll bring a lot of energy and experience and I’m look forward to starting with him in the new year.”

In the ruminations about the dearth of top-level English coaches, we talk a lot about the culture, but we shouldn’t forget it’s also about the economics, stupid. And few football nations prioritise making as much cash as possible like ours.

Thanks Michael, afternoon again everyone. Here’s a little counterfactual with which to run down the day: what do we think the reaction would be in the (incredibly unlikely) eventuality of the German national team appointing an English manager? You suspect it would still be a bigger deal in England, given the lopsided nature of this “rivalry”.

Going to hand over to Tom Davies now. Thanks for reading and for your emails.

One worry for Tuchel is that he’s going to grow wearisome of the press and the infringement on his personal life with this job. He was asked directly of this in the press conference but it’s worth remembering that England’s only World Cup-winning manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, wasn’t exactly a darling of the media.

Jonathan Wilson wrote a piece, back in 2021 before the Euro 2020 final, our writer talks of Ramsey’s (and Southgate’s) stubbornness.

Finally, something Piers and I agree on.

The importance of being English, by Barney Ronay.

Why was Mark Bullingham vague when asked about how many candidates he had interviewed? On numerous occasions, he said “approximately 10” or “about 10”. Does he not know exactly how many he interviewed?

I really hope he wears a tracksuit in the dugout, something is off with the suit. I think I’m right in saying the last permanent manager to wear a tracksuit on the sidelines was Kevin Keegan in 2000, although I’m happy to be corrected.

Updated

Another shout out for today’s episode of Football Weekly.

Anthony Barry will be Tuchel’s assistant manager. Here is a quick-run down of the Liverpool-born 38-year-old’s coaching career to date, courtesy of PA Media.

Barry had an unheralded playing career as a midfielder in the lower divisions. He progressed through the Everton youth ranks but was released at 18 and went on to play at Coventry, Accrington, Yeovil, Fleetwood, Forest Green, Chester and Wrexham.

Barry began his coaching career when he joined Paul Cook’s backroom staff at Wigan in 2017. He stayed with the Latics for three years before being taken to Chelsea by Frank Lampard, whom he had crossed paths with while studying for his Pro-Licence. Lampard soon departed but he stayed on at Stamford Bridge to work under his successors Tuchel and Graham Potter.

Barry’s big break came with a dissertation he wrote for his Pro-Licence. His detailed analysis of 16,380 throw-ins made a mark on Lampard and he has since gone on to establish himself as a set-piece expert.

Tuchel was impressed by Barry at Chelsea and the pair developed a strong friendship during a period in which they won the Champions League. Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea in September 2022 but returned for Barry when he was appointed at Bayern Munich the following year. England will be their third job together.

It will not be Barry’s first foray into international football, having briefly worked with the Republic of Ireland and also under Roberto Martinez with both Belgium and Portugal.

Jamie Carragher has been speaking on Sky:

I thought he came across really well. He’s got charisma, he’s got personality. You can see the confidence, perhaps compared to Lee Carsley. He seems like he’s a good fit, certainly in terms of handling the media. But I think, if we’re being honest, he’d rather be coaching a top club side rather than England. Maybe that’s why he’s signed an 18-month deal.

Don’t want to give too much oxygen to Anthemgate, but Tuchel sensibly kicked that can down the road. Here’s a reminder of what he said in his press conference when asked if he will sing the national anthem.

I have not made my decision yet. Your anthem is very moving. I have experienced it a few times, at the FA Cup final for example. I have until March. I will always show my respect to the country. But I will take my time.

I couldn’t care less about whether the England manager sings a song (or the anthem in general) but a lot of people do care about it in this country. It was a sensible move to show the anthem (and those people’s feelings) respect, rather than just laughing it off.

Remarkable that Tuchel’s lowest win percentage in his last four jobs is 60%. Sir Alex Ferguson ended his 26-year stint as Manchester United manager with a 59.67% win-rate, having recorded 895 victories in 1,500 games.

That fourth picture stirs something in me.

Updated

Kane must be delighted with Tuchel’s appointment, given his form under the German at Bayern last season. There will be others that are on the outside of the England squad at the moment – Mason Mount, Reece James, Eric Dier, Ben Chilwell (if he can get a move in January away from Chelsea) – who will hope they can play their way back into the reckoning.

That’s all for now. That was a job well done from Tuchel, who appeared confident yet humble.

Bullingham is asked about whether any other candidates turned the job down.

The FA’s CEO dodges the question, simply reiterating his earlier answer that there were around 10 candidates and he believes they have the best man or woman for the job.

Updated

Tuchel on whether he intends to keep Kane as captain:

Everyone knows how I feel about Harry. I fought very hard to bring him to Bayern. He is already on his way to being a legend. But it’s too early to make these decisions [about the captaincy]. I want to give the respect to Lee [Carsley] and not interfere [with the next two games].

Tuchel on whether he spoke to Harry Kane before the appointment:

I spoke to nobody. We kept the process very confidential. I didn’t speak to Harry [Kane]. I didn’t speak to Gareth [Southgate].

Tuchel on the length of his contract. The FA had not previously confirmed the widely-reported figure of 18 months.

It’s 18 months and then we decided to sit together and let’s see. It’s a little bit of a step into the unknown for me. I am used to have the daily influence on 40-60 people. This will be very different. To understand that this is something that will excite me is the timeframe. It will help us to keep focus. It will help us to communicate. We are here to work on the best possible outcome for the World Cup.

“I am working on my long-term game”, he adds, jokingly.

Updated

Somebody asks a question in German.

“English questions from now on”, an ominous-sounding press officer barks.

Tuchel offers to translate and answers in English.

“We will try to take the next step”.

Tuchel:

We have the ingredients. We can install patterns and behaviours from club football to push us over the line. We will need luck, we will need to avoid injuries. But most important is to prove ourselves. You are a national player every single day. I am a national manager every single day, not just on this campus. We must live up to those standards. Then, special things can happen.

Tuchel on pressure of role

Tuchel:

I am up for the pressure. I am up to the task. These are all the reasons to jump in. The pressure on the personal side, the media, is never part of the decision making. Sure, I feel it in the process. But my love and passion for the game is always much more than the negative.

Updated

Tuchel on the national anthem

Tuchel on whether he will sing the national anthem:

I have not made my decision yet. Your anthem is very moving. I have experienced it a few times, at the FA Cup final for example. I have until March. I will always show my respect to the country. But I will take my time.

Updated

Tuchel:

The job is just about football, and I wasn’t sure about that before I went to the interview. It suits my way of working. I always wanted to return to England. It’s here that I have the best memories. I know there are some trophies missing. I want to help to make it happen.

Tuchel:

We will build on Southgate’s work. You look at the last results, it’s outstanding. The under-21s win titles. The women’s team win titles. We are there, the federations is there. There is a different schedule than club football but the quality is there. We can combine ideas and build on what Gareth and the FA built.

Tuchel is asked what sort of personality he is:

I am very emotional. We will play with passion and emotions. We will try to have rules as soon as possible to make the dreams come true.

Bullingham:

We interviewed about 10 candidates and there were some English candidates within that.

The FA’s CEO refuses to divulge any more details.

Tuchel:

It’s the biggest job in world football. I am sorry that I have a German passport but I give the greatest respect to the country.

Bullingham is asked about appointing a foreign manager:

We just wanted the best person for the job. We owe it to the nation and the players to do that. We feel we have done that. We are delighted that Thomas has joined us.

When asked if this is his biggest job.

It’s not fair to compare. This job suits my passion. I want to push it over the line and try to put a second star on the shirt.

Tuchel speaks:

I’m excited and honoured to be here. I just read a quote from Pele in the building and it said: ‘Wembley is the heart, the capital and the cathedral of football’, and I think he is absolutely right. It’s a very special group of players to make our dream come true in America.

Mark Bullingham, CEO of the FA, is first to speak:

Our aim is to win a major tournament and we believe Thomas gives us the best possible chance to do that. Thomas was outstanding in his interview, and how he would work with our players to get the best out of them. I’d like to thank Lee Carsley. He’s handled himself really well. Lee will return to the under-21s.

Time for Tuchel's unveiling

Right, it’s 1.30pm BST. Thomas Tuchel is just about to take his seat at his first press conference. He’s all smiles and is wearing a suit! No tracksuit here, very serious. Yes, yes.

Updated

If manager news is your thing, try this on for size.

Anthony Barry, Tuchel’s new assistant who worked with the German at Chelsea at Bayern, made this statement:

For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches. This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.

The latest Football Weekly podcast is well worth a listen: Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Liew and Paul Watson to discuss Thomas Tuchel’s arrival.

An email from Patrick Treacy on the difference between cup football and international football:

Tuchel is a fine coach with an excellent track record at club level, especially in knockout competitions and I see why the FA see him as the person to get them over the line at a major tournament. However, cup football and tournament football are not necessarily the same things. Whatever anyone says about Southgate, he was brilliant at tournament football, hence England’s drastically improved record under him vs. previous decades. And arguably with a less talented team. He found balance, which is extraordinarily difficult at any level of football, and he brought harmony and seriousness as well as enjoyment back to a difficult environment. He’s been underestimated imho.

Hi everyone. Well nourished, yep. Me 1-0 Moussaka. Right, we are around 25 minutes away from Tuchel’s first press conference. To Wembley!

Right, Michael’s back and well nourished (I trust), so he’ll talk you through the afternoon. Bye.

Lunchtime listening: Football Weekly has dropped, in which you can listen to Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Liew and Paul Watson talk all things Tuchel, and more:

Just a reminder that the big Tuchel introductory press conference is coming up at 1.30pm. In the meantime, Sky is trying to burnish his all-important bantz credentials by digging up a clip of him trying to learn Cockney rhyming slang (and not really grasping it, if we’re honest) during his Chelsea tenure. Also, since when was Steffi Graf, rather than “giraffe” slang for “laugh”?

Some more cogent comment from BTL, this from Zippy’s Teeth:

You look at comparable nations - italy, germany, france, spain - and what they all have in common, apart from winning and reaching multiple finals over several decades, is a steady supply of top coaches who often emerge from within. Löw was assistant before stepping up, the spanish dude who won this years euros was u21s coach. There is a culture at club and association level of developing coaches and giving them a go. Doesnt always work but often it does. Guardiola became barca coach after being the reserves coach.

That culture seems alien, so far, in english club football. A top manager stands down or is fired and there is a clamour for some new, ready-made stardust coach.

The closest english football has come to emulating the mindset of nurturing new coaches is, ironically, in the national team set up. Southgate was instrumental in creating a club ethos in england, of the different age groups pulling in the same way and a clear progression path for coaches. This has also coincided with englands most successful spell in ages (abetted it must be said with some kind tournament draws). And yet Southgate is chased away by press and fans who demanded stardust. If tuchel fails then there is every risk that england will go back to the merry go round of random appointments and the gains in continuity are lost.

For what its worth, the other uk nations arent much better. There is no heir apparent to steve clarke in scotland and scottish clubs are not promoting from within as they used to. Wales and NI ditto. Though there is also much less of a circus compared with england, more a sense of lets get on with it when new appointments are made.

Updated

The fact that the appointment of Tuchel was decided on 8 October, two days before the fun and frolics of the Greece defeat, makes all the contortions and confusions of those Carsley press conference seem almost a tad, well, cruel. Like the whole thing – including the game against Greece itself – was some kind of situationist prank, an elaborate piece of performance art.

A bit more reaction anyhow. Alan Shearer reckons they jumped in for Tuchel now to head off Manchester United when/if Erik ten Hag gets binned, reports PA Media. “You then have to look at what’s available to you. They’ve looked at Thomas Tuchel and have thought there is a chance he could get the Manchester United job pretty soon. So opportunity lies now. If they didn’t act quick now they weren’t going to get one of the outstanding candidates for the job.”

Shearer does not have a problem with the whole German manager thing, saying: “If he’s the outstanding candidate, yeah. There’s no doubt he’s got an incredible CV, what he’s won and managing at the highest level, working with superstars. But this is going to be a very, very different test for him. It’s a bold move from the FA, there’s no doubt about it. We need a trophy, it’s as simple as that. And we need a manager that can deliver that.

“I hope they have spoken to English managers. I am reliably told they didn’t speak to Eddie Howe, which is a surprise to me as he’s the outstanding English candidate. I’m happy in a way because Newcastle are not going to lose their manager.”

His fellow former England striker turned broadcaster Gary Lineker concurred, adding: “I don’t think it is imperative (to have an English manager). I’m not going to lose sleep over it. But my personal preference would be that England has an English coach.

“For some reason English football hasn’t produced a plethora of brilliant coaches. Why that is, I don’t know. I think that will happen. We are starting to see really good coaches coming through. But I think the reason that we have not produced great coaches is the fact that we were stuck in the past in terms of long-ball football. We were behind everybody else.”

While Gary Neville told Sky Sports News: “It’s not really about Thomas Tuchel, but there is an element of disappointment in my head that the FA have gone to an international coach. I think he is a great coach. He has taken a job with a group of talented players and I think everyone will wish him all the best and hope he can get over the line and win a trophy.

“But I think there are some serious questions for the FA to answer in respect of English coaches. I do think we are damaging ourselves. Accepting that Thomas Tuchel is better than any of the other English candidates, but with the likes of Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, I do think there are outstanding candidates that could have been appointed that are English.”

Thanks Michael. Good afternoon everyone as this Big Day Of Opinions continues. Looking back at those newspaper back pages, what strikes is that none of them would have been a surprise to anyone who’d just woken up from 1994 after a 30-year sleep (though witchcraft such as internet live blogs would have spooked them). Even the jokey ones about winning on penalties are totally outdated, with England now one of the best teams at penalty shootouts in world football. Other than that, lads, well done, and crack on …

I’m off for some lunch. Tom Davies will guide you through the next hour. In a bit!

Thomas Tuchel: ‘I’m quite nervous’

A new video message has just dropped from TT.

I’m very honoured and will do everything we can to qualify for the World Cup first of all, and then we have a successful World Cup and try to get a second star on our shirt.

Telling that Tuchel is already using ‘our shirt’.

Updated

A reminder that the press conference to welcome Thomas Tuchel will take place at Wembley at 1.30pm BST.

To complement the above tweet, the following paragraph is from a piece by Alex Clapham in 2021.

In 2017, Spain boasted a whopping 15,089 coaches who held either the Uefa Pro or Uefa A qualification. The numbers are extraordinary, especially when compared to the 1,796 qualified coaches in England. The prices tell their own story. Whereas the Spanish A licence costs a mere £960 and the Pro licence costs £1,070, enrolling on the A licence in England costs £3,645 and a staggering £9,890 to complete the Pro licence – if there are any places available on the handful of courses at St George’s Park.

I revisited this piece by Barney Ronay from 2022, written after Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid (despite winning 3-2 at the Bernabéu).

Thomas Tuchel’s career in numbers:

Nine - major trophy wins with former clubs Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
16 - years spent as a head coach after starting his managerial career with Augsburg’s reserve team in 2007.
18 - Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract with the FA.
1973 - the year Tuchel was born (August 29).
4-2-3-1 - Tuchel’s preferred playing formation.
Three - major trophy wins in the 2019-20 season with PSG (Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue).
2025 - The former Chelsea boss will start his new role on January 1.
17 - months in charge of Chelsea (January 2021-September 2022)
86 - league appearances as a player in Germany’s lower leagues
Three - red cards during his playing career
One - Champions League triumph (with Chelsea in 2021).
One - Uefa men’s coach of the year award 2020-21.
Two - Premier League manager of the month Awards (March 2021, October 2021)
61 - games in charge of Bayern Munich
127 - games in charge of PSG.
100 - games in charge of Chelsea.
107 - games in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Let’s not forget the outpouring of love for Sven-Göran Eriksson, England men’s first foreign manager, after his death earlier this year.

Yes, there was a predictably furore when Eriksson was appointed, but ultimately he is not remembered in this country for his nationality.

Updated

Two decent, differing comments from below the line.

An email from Tom Leonard:

I think Tuchel’s perceived argumentative nature is overblown and exaggerated. You have to look at the context of his falling outs. At Bayern he got caught up in the backstage, politicking that saw Kahn and Salihamadic leave and an old guard that never seemed to want him in the first place. At Chelsea he got along fine with Abramovich when all he was asked to do was coach. It was only when Boehly’s disruptive blue sky bullshit came in that there was problems. And at PSG his team was overloaded with £200m primadona attackers he didn’t want while being expected to win the Champions League every season, and even then he got them as close as anyone. I think he’s a great manager.

Just a reminder for anyone frothing at the mouth that some of the world’s most important male football nations are also managed by foreign managers. This is just a small selection, there are countless others. Tuchel is not a seminal appointment in that regard.

Portugal are managed by Roberto Martínez, a Belgian.

Uruguay are managed by Marcelo Bielsa, an Argentinian.

Belgium are managed by Domenico Tedesco, an Italian-German.

USA are managed by Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentinian.

Algeria are managed by Vladimir Petkovic, a Swiss.

Colombia are managed by Néstor Lorenzo, an Argentinian.

Sweden are managed by Jon Dahl Tomasson, a Dane.

Updated

Prince William, patron of the FA, has tweeted his support for Tuchel.

Updated

John Cross, in the Daily Mirror, writes that Tuchel’s German’s nationality shouldn’t be an issue.

Clearly the FA’s preferred option would always be an English manager and a coach who came through the St George’s Park system - otherwise it highlights the fact they are not producing homegrown managers.

But from day one, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham held up Sarina Wiegman as an example as a Dutch coach who led the Lionesses to Euros glory at Wembley and the reason why they would go for the best candidate for the job. That is Tuchel. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was another candidate while Graham Potter was never really in the frame and Tuchel’s track record also puts him in a different bracket.

This is the manager who has actually seen off Guardiola, leading Chelsea to glory in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.

The fact Tuchel is German may have some England fans and critics jumping up and down but he was hugely popular during his time at Chelsea. In fact, it would not be too much of a stretch to describe him as an Anglophile as he loved London, enjoyed English culture and was loved here, too.

The Daily Star’s headline was more light-hearted.

Sam Wallace, the Daily Telegraph’s chief football writer, wrote on Monday that he thinks the manager of England should be English, three days after making the case for Pep Guardiola taking the job.

The full piece is here (behind a paywall).

Updated

UK press reaction

The news of Tuchel’s imminent appointment broke late on Monday. Here is a selection of some of the UK Media’s reaction.

The Daily Mail had the following as their back page piece. It is worth flagging that the article does not have a byline. It was simply written by ‘Mail Sport Reporter’, according the online version.

Now we have Thomas Tuchel, a German with a questionable managerial background and an FA running around like headless chickens in a panic to get in first before Manchester United. Lee Carsley clearly wasn’t the right man, but is this REALLY the best we can do?

Has nobody learned from the ‘take-the-money-and-run’ attitude of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello?

And what does this say about the English coaching system? How insulting, ignorant and unforgivably short-sighted. Would Spain or France take this approach?

We may have made an exception for the mighty Pep Guardiola, but now we have a gun for hire who owes us nothing and will pass through our game with a huge cheque and no connection to the fans or players.

This is a dark day for English football. We are the laughing stock of the world game.

Updated

Our report on Thomas Tuchel's appointment

FA CEO Mark Bullingham: 'Tuchel gives us the best chance of winning the 2026 World Cup'

We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him. Our recruitment process has been very thorough.

Before the EUROs we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.

Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.

I would like to thank Lee for stepping up and doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and a major part of our England pathway. He will now focus on retaining the U21 Euro title in the summer. These are exciting times for England fans at senior and MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January.

Thomas Tuchel: 'This is a huge privilege'

I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.

Working closely with Anthony [Barry] as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.

Key event

Confirmed details:

  • Tuchel will be assisted by English coach Anthony Barry, who is currently the assistant manager for the Portugal national team under Roberto Martínez. Tuchel and Barry worked together at Chelsea and Bayern.

  • Tuchel and Barry will begin work on 1 January 2025 before the qualification process for the 2026 World Cup. He has been given an 18-month contract until after that tournament in the US.

  • The decision to recruit Tuchel and Barry was approved by the FA Board early last week, with Tuchel signing his contract on Tuesday 8 October (interestingly two days before the defeat to Greece). The announcement was delayed to minimise distraction around the international camp.

  • Interim head coach Lee Carsley will remain in charge of England through to the conclusion of the Nations League group stage next month, with games away to Greece and at home to Republic of Ireland. Carsley will then return to lead England’s Under-21s.

Updated

Tuchel is confirmed as England manager!

Updated

Here’s Jacob Steinberg on Tuchel as a tactician and coach:

One of Thomas Tuchel’s old bosses calls him a “footballaholic”. The image is of a man who spends every minute of every day poring over the game’s tactical intricacies. No wonder Tuchel quickly made good on his promise to turn Chelsea into a team that nobody would relish playing after inheriting a broken unit from Frank Lampard in January 2021.

They were champions of Europe four months later, stunning Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in a tense final in Porto after perfectly carrying out Tuchel’s plan. It was a remarkable achievement. Chelsea were flailing in mid-table when the German who has agreed to be England’s next manager took over. They were shipping goals at an alarming rate. Undeterred, Tuchel immediately ironed out the flaws and introduced a 3-4-2-1 system that turned Chelsea into the stingiest team in Europe.

The full article here.

For those that are arguing that Tuchel has a prickly character, I think it’s worth remembering his statement when leaving Chelsea. It was heartfelt and honest when it could easily have been vindictive and bitter.

“This is one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write - and it is one which I hoped I would not need to do for many years. I am devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end. This is a club where I felt at home, both professionally and personally. Thank you so much to all the staff, the players and the supporters for making me feel very welcome from the start.

“This is a club where I felt at home, both professionally and personally. Thank you so much to all the staff, the players and the supporters for making me feel very welcome from the start.”

In hindsight sacking Tuchel was a huge mistake with the Blues since struggling under Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and (to a lesser extent) Mauricio Pochettino.

This made me laugh.

Press conference scheduled for 1.30pm BST

FA’s chief executive, Mark ­Bullingham, has scheduled a press conference at Wembley at 1.30pm BST, which will surely be Tuchel’s official unveiling.

Updated

“Can somebody explain why he is so disliked in Germany?” emails Michael Abbott.

First off, I’m not sure that dislike is the right phrase. Remember that Germany’s biggest club, Bayern Munich, wanted to keep him as manager last season, but ultimately Tuchel walked. He is certainly well respected in his homeland and so nearly beat Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final last season.

It’s true, though, that he’s not Germany’s No 1 son. Tuchel has managed in Germany with Mainz, Dortmund and Bayern, but the majority of the silverware he has won has been in England and France. His stewardship at Bayern and Dortmund (post-Klopp) was often fraught.

An excerpt from Barney Ronay’s piece.

With Tuchel now on the verge, it seems the current executive are in fact close to an objectively impressive piece of recruitment. While objectivity has never really had much place around here, Tuchel will represent a significant departure in two obvious ways.

For starters, this would be the first time the FA has appointed a coach who has worked in England and won the European Cup. Fabio Capello had the second of these, and undertook the first with all the infectious enthusiasm of a man cleaning out a particularly noxious cat litter tray. Don Revie and Bobby Robson won European trophies. Sven-Göran Eriksson hoovered up some high-spec silverware.

But Tuchel is something more specific. This is a former Uefa men’s coach of the year, who led two clubs to the final of the Champions League in three years. Plus, of course, alongside quite a few misses, he has that obvious recent major final victory, achieved with an English team, or at least one containing three English players in the squad for the final.

If the idea is to retain the possession-centred systems football of the England DNA years, while infusing this with some knowledge of how to actually win big games in the saddle; if being sacked for failing to appreciate Todd Boehly’s Monopoly-on-acid vision of team building can be considered in retrospect a massive tick; then Tuchel fits the job description very well.

Read the full article here.

What we know so far

  • Tuchel is expected to be officially unveiled as England manager on Wednesday at a press conference from Wembley.

  • Tuchel topped a list that also included Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and the interim manager, Lee Carsley, among others.

  • The 51-year-old will be the third foreign manager of the men’s team and the first from Germany, after Sven-Göran ­Eriksson and Fabio Capello. Eddie Howe and Graham Potter were the leading English candidates but the FA’s chief executive, Mark ­Bullingham, who led the recruitment process alongside the technical director, John McDermott, has long been clear that nationality should be no barrier to the role.

  • England captain Harry Kane has spoken: “Until it’s announced obviously I can’t really comment, but we have to wait and see. Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me, when they know more about it.”

Preamble

Two days is a long time in football. On Monday, the Football Association had identified Pep Guardiola as its dream target to manage England men, with Thomas Tuchel believed to have reservations about the role. Now, the FA are on the verge on confirming the German at the new custodian of English football.

Who can complain about that? He’s a creative, winning manager, knows the English game, and it probably the outstanding candidate of those that are available (or who wants the job). That might only be half the role but Tuchel has nimbly managed difficult situations in the past at Chelsea and Bayern, and he already has the respect of the players. Oh, and at least there won’t be too much furore over whether Tuchel sings ‘God Save The King’.

We’ll be keeping abreast of the latest developments in this liveblog, bringing you any news and analysis.

Feel free to stick your oar in/get in touch with your own opinions. You can reach me via email: michael.butler@theguardian.com or @michaelbutler18.

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