Thomas Tuchel: England’s New Head Coach – A Comedy of Errors and Triumphs
Published on 10/16/2024 | Updated on 10/17/2024
Well, well, well! What do we have here? Thomas Tuchel, the man who once navigated the choppy waters of Bayern Munich like a seasoned sailor, is now donning the most prestigious cap of his career—England’s head coach! I mean, if it’s not the ultimate plot twist in a footballing soap opera, I don’t know what is. Imagine switching from the German Bundesliga to managing the England squad—it’s like going from a Michelin-star restaurant to a dodgy pub that serves jelly and ice cream for dinner!
Tuchel, fresh off managing at clubs like Mainz, Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea, and oh yes, Bayern Munich—because why not?—has been handed the reins from Gareth Southgate, who had quite the tenure. A success story filled with more ups and downs than a yo-yo on a trampoline. You really have to hand it to Southgate; eight years is a long time to manage a team that can’t seem to decide whether it wants to win or throw a penalty shootout. Hats off, Gareth!
Now, as Tuchel steps into this new role, he’s got a significant adjustment ahead of him. It’s a different kettle of fish, as they say! Gernot Rohr, a man with some wisdom in the coaching trenches, pointed out that the pace of international management is a tad slower. And let’s be honest—what do you expect? At a club, the squad is at your beck and call, 24/7, while in international football, you’re playing a tactical game of hide and seek. You gather the bunch once a month and pray they remember how to kick a ball!
“The club takes care of you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whereas a selection, between international breaks, we can take a breather. The pressure is greater, but it’s not there all the time.” – Gernot Rohr
Honestly, the difference is akin to a fast-food drive-thru versus a slow-cooked, gourmet meal. You can’t just toss a bunch of ingredients together and hope for the best! Oh no! Tuchel will need to engage in a careful culinary process of observation, selection, and evaluation. It’s like being a master chef but only having the ingredients show up for dinner twice a month. No pressure, right?
Gernot Rohr also elaborated about the importance of a coach’s club experience being useful. It’s not just about throwing on the jersey and hoping for the best! As a national team manager, Tuchel needs to be like a wise old owl—observant and communicative, moving around to scout for talent whilst fending off distractions like a pro. Because it’s not just about picking the best players; it’s about inviting them to dinner and hoping they all know to bring their A-game. Although we know how some of them feel about carrying their own weight—cough, cough, Harry Kane.
“In six weeks, you can have the same impact as in a year with a selection. Every gathering is important.” – Gernot Rohr
And let’s not forget the great England trophy drought since 1966. If you’re Thomas Tuchel, that’s like being the only person at a party who can’t find the house! However, on a serious note, this is a challenge. He’s stepping up to a job that some say is more intense than trying to bake a soufflé that won’t collapse. Good luck with that, mate! Roaring crowds, national pride, and not to mention, an ongoing history of heartbreak in tournament football.
“It’s a great challenge for him,” says Rohr. And sure, who wouldn’t want that on their CV? Maybe he’ll find his groove and realize he enjoys international management. After all, there’s something charming about a national coach who may decide to stay put rather than dive back into the frantic club scene.
In the end, it’s hard to predict how Tuchel’s tenure with England will unfold. Will he take the Three Lions to heights unseen, or will it be another case of mismatched socks and unfound hopes? One thing’s certain: the road ahead is bound to be bumpy—so buckle up, England fans! This might just be the most entertaining ride of all.
Thomas Tuchel will have his first experience as a coach. The German has just been appointed head of England. A function very different from what he experienced at Dortmund, PSG or Chelsea.
Published on 10/16/2024 5:27 p.m. Updated on 10/17/2024 6:24 a.m.
Temps de lecture : 4min
(HASLIN / MAXPPP)
His new cap, bearing the England logo, is ready: Thomas Tuchel will don the most prestigious costume of his career. After Mainz, Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and recently Bayern Munich, the 51-year-old was officially named England coach. He succeeds Gareth Southgate, who had been in office for eight years with considerable success.
A major change of cap for Tuchel, who will have his very first experience as national coach. “It’s a different job”says Gernot Rohr to franceinfo. The 71-year-old German coach knows something about it, since after coaching clubs for 19 years – Bordeaux, Nice, Ajaccio, Nantes, Metz – he switched to the selections. “In 2009-2010, I moved from FC Nantes to Gabon. I already had two decades of experience. It was a logical continuation in my career, because there was more analysis, study and ‘observationhe remembers. And my club experience has been very useful in my work as a coach. With Gabon, I reached the quarter-finals of the CAN.”
The biggest difference is obviously the pace. “The club takes care of you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whereas a selection, between international breaks, we can take a breather, recover, we’re less in the news.”details the current coach of Benin. “On the other hand, when you are in the selection, it is very intense, there is an entire country waiting for results, and not just a city or a club. The pressure is greater, but it’s not there all the time.”
The approach to the profession is also different. “We only have the players once a month, it’s a gathering with two matches in a fairly short period of time. It’s completely different in terms of preparationexplains the ex-Bordeaux coach. It is above all a work of observation, selection, evaluation of players. You also need to have the ability to communicate a lot. We can’t see the players in real life all the time. You have to move around a lot, it’s another job“.
The jobs of coach and selector are two complementary functions. “It is essential for a coach to have club experience, obviously. This is where we learn the job, we see how the players work, we understand the players’ obligations towards the clubs with whom they are under contract.“
“It is often said that a coach needs a year to have the chance to imprint his philosophy, the tactical organization, the discipline and the necessary rigor. In club, it goes much faster because you have the players all every day, all year round.”
Gernot Rohr, Benin coach
A FranceInfo
“In six weeks, you can have the same impact as in a year with a selection. You have to go much faster in a national team : every gathering is important, and despite that, it is the matches that give you confidence and knowledge of the coach’s methods”explains Gernot Rohr.
If Thomas Tuchel has scoured the biggest European clubs and won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, the 51-year-old German will take over one of the most publicized selections on the Old Continent, which is desperately trying to dust off a trophy cabinet that is has not welcomed a new cut since 1966.
“It’s a great challenge for him, he is able to bring all his experience to his new job“, estimates Gernot Rohr. And perhaps take a liking to this new role. Rohr has experienced five different national teams during his career. “Since I took charge of a selection, I never wanted to return to a club”he concluded.
