Thomas Tuchel is now officially the England manager until 2026 after the next world cup. There has been a lot of scrutiny from some about his appointment, but why is he the perfect candidate?
Thomas Tuchel: The lowdown
His managerial statistics and successes
Thomas Tuchel is a coach used to pressure at the highest level, having taken charge of three of Europe's powerhouses in club football in the last six years: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Despite his record in international football still being unproven, his tournament success with various clubs on a domestic level cannot be understated. The most noteworthy of these successes have been his record on the European stage.
He has not lost both legs in any European tie he has ever taken a part in since the pair of games against Monaco for Dortmund in 2017. Alongside this, he has made it to the semi-finals of four of the last six seasons he has taken part in the Champions League knockout rounds (winning it in 2021 with Chelsea).
Furthermore, he lead PSG to their first ever Champions League final and has the second highest win percentage of any manager at the club (74.8 %).
His honours
Below are all of Thomas Tuchel's major honours as a coach:
1x UEFA Champions League winner (Chelsea), 1x Bundesliga winner (Bayern Munich), 2x Ligue 1 winner (PSG), 1x DFB-Pokal winner (Borussia Dortmund), 1x Coupe de France winner (PSG), 1x UEFA Supercup winner (Chelsea), 1x FIFA Club World Cup winner (Chelsea), 1x French League cup winner (PSG), 2x French Supercup winner (PSG)
His connection with England
Thomas Tuchel has expressed a lot of gratitude towards the appreciation he gets by fans within England.
In January, in an interview for ESPN with reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt, Tuchel said: "I do feel more appreciated in England, pretty simple question. I feel that we are very critical with each other in Germany and especially with players and coaches not only with me."
Tuchel is also reported to have kept his London home in Cobham, which he shared with his girlfriend Natalie Max, even after the move to Bayern Munich in 2023.
The critics
Numerous figures in the media, most notably many ex-England internationals have come out against the appointment of Thomas Tuchel. The most common argument seems to be a sentiment that the coach of the Three Lions should be English.
Gary Neville, pundit at Sky Sports, said: "I'm not sure it fits the criteria of St. George's Park and the belief in English coaches and the growth in the English teams' performance in the last seven or eight years." (Sky Sports)
Despite this, he did admit: "They (the FA) have probably got the best available coach in Europe that is available at this time."
Alongside this, former England international Michael Owen has also come out on X (formerly Twitter) and said: "Top quality appointment made with the new England manager. A proven winner with a great understanding of the English game. My only disappointment is that he’s not English."
See below: Michael Owen's post
Are the criticisms justified?
It is tough to say currently how well Thomas Tuchel will perform at England, especially considering he will only step in as manager in January as interim coach Lee Carsley will see out the next two fixtures against Greece and Ireland in the next international break.
However, with a track record of winning in major knockout tournaments at club level, he seems a safer bet than other less-proven homegrown coaches such as Eddie Howe or Graham Potter on a national level.
Match Result
