Tuchel Takes Charge: The New Era of English Football?
Well, ladies and gents, buckle up because Thomas Tuchel has been handed the England managerial job! Yes, the third foreign coach to take the reins of the Three Lions will be arriving on our shores this January, and frankly, it’s about as popular as bringing a German into your British pub quiz team—questionable yet intriguing! He’s “very proud” of this honor, but it’s clear he’s stepping onto a battlefield rather than a red carpet. Let’s dive into this curious saga, shall we?
The BBC has greeted him with a lovely red heart emoji because nothing says “We trust you” like a little romantic gesture in sports news, right? And over on the royal side, the Prince and Princess of Wales have chimed in with their chipper message of support: “Good luck Thomas. We are all behind you!” It’s like a royal endorsement, which is great and all, until you remember the royal family once supported a guy who turned out to be a complete… well, let’s not go there, shall we?
Now, the Guardian is all love hearts and sunshine, describing Tuchel as “intense”, which could be an understatement. The man entrenched himself in Chelsea’s tactics like he was trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded! Of course, this is the same genius who turned a broken Chelsea team into Champions League winners in just four months. If that’s not enough to make the England players sit up and take notice, I don’t know what is. Perhaps showing them last season’s Chelsea games might do the trick!
But not everyone is so pleased with this foreign takeover. The Daily Mail has declared this appointment as a “dark day for England” because apparently, the only qualification for coaching the Three Lions is that you must have at least one English bloodline running through your veins! The outcry suggests that an English coach should’ve been the first choice. Really? Last I checked, England went to the Euros with an English manager and… well, let’s not open that can of worms!
“Should England manager be English or best for the job? This will be one of the biggest questions surrounding Tuchel’s appointment.”
The BBC adds a dose of pragmatism, questioning whether nationality should overshadow ability. After all, we celebrated the success of the England women’s team under Sarina Wiegman without batting an eye about her Dutch heritage. Is it not time we let go of the ‘English manager only’ trope? Or are we too afraid that a German might steal our tea and crumpets along with our national pride?
As we roll towards 2026, with the World Cup glimmering like a distant trophy on the horizon, one thing remains clear: Tuchel brings with him not just a set of tactics but an intense, meticulous approach to the game. The FA may have pulled the trigger on a risky appointment that some see as an insult, while others view it as a necessary catalyst for transformation. Who knows? We might just find out that faith in foreign coaches can lead to glory—after all, it worked for Germany, didn’t it?
So, here’s to Thomas Tuchel! May your time with the Three Lions be filled with tactical genius, innovative training, and perhaps, a touch of British humour. Let’s just hope you don’t take our footballing masculinity too seriously — after all, we’re still figuring out if potato salad is a side dish or a main course!
After his appointment as head of the English selection on Wednesday, Thomas Tuchel, third foreign coach in the history of the Three Lions, will not arrive on completely conquered territory next January. While the German technician said he was “very proud of the honor” done to him, the BBC greeted X with his reaction with a pretty red heart. For its part, the royal family, via the account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, was already enthusiastic: “Good luck Thomas. We are all behind you! »
Red carpet also on the side of Guardian where the editorialist Jacob Steinberg assured this Wednesday morning: “Thomas Tuchel is intense but the English players will love his pure coaching”. The journalist returned in particular to the former PSG coach’s time at Chelsea with “the image of a man who spends every minute of every day studying the tactical subtleties of the game”.
“It is no surprise,” it is also underlined, “that Tuchel quickly kept his promise to transform Chelsea into a team that no one would want to play after inheriting a broken team in January 2021 by succeeding Frank Lampard, before winning the Champions League four months later against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. » For the Guardian, with “Super Tommy Tuchel, players will find his sessions pleasant and innovative (…) and a pure-play coach who loves the smell of grass”.
Another tone in the columns of Daily Mail for which this Wednesday is “a dark day for England since the position of manager goes to a GERMAN… (…) Carsley (who will still take over as interim in November) was not the man for the situation, but an English coach should have been the priority. (…) International football should be the best of us against the best of theirs” For the tabloid, Tuchel’s appointment is nothing more than an “insult”.
“Should England manager be English or best for the job? This will be one of the biggest questions surrounding Tuchel’s appointment”
On its site, the BBC is more nuanced, already imagining that the choice of the Federation will appear to some “as an insult to the talent of local managers. (…) Tuchel’s arrival is a radical and significant departure from the path charted by the FA’s “DNA” mantra, delivered ten years ago by Dan Ashworth – then director of elite development – designed to establish a common philosophy across all England teams. (…) Tuchel’s taking office could offend nationalist purists who will see it as the sacrifice of principle for a quick solution in time for the 2026 World Cup.
The BBC asks and answers: “Should England manager be English or the best for the job?” This will be one of the biggest questions surrounding Tuchel’s appointment, but no one can deny that the FA have recruited one of the game’s elite figures. (…) Nationality was not an issue when the England women’s team won Euro 2020 under Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman. It was a cause for national celebration. »
