England appointing Thomas Tuchel shows as much desperation as inspiration

The German represents a shift away from years of planning by the FA, writes Miguel Delaney, yet his appointment also highlights the ultimate desire for the Three Lions on the road to the 2026 World Cup

When Thomas Tuchel sat down with the Football Association over the last week, there was one detail that weighed over everything. That was simply to win the 2026 World Cup. That was the huge attraction of the job for him. That was the primary impetus for the FA.

It was obviously about so much more than Lee Carsley’s defeat to Greece last week, given that Tuchel had already signed his contract at that point. It was as early as 8 October. The FA certainly did will to keep the story under wraps in quite an old-fashioned way. The German's own existing interest in the job also increased once it became clear that Manchester United were not going to move off Erik ten Hag any time soon.

A narrative could be formed about how the Old Trafford hierarchy has let another manager, who could have been the right man, go, but there is a grander storyline to this. England have certainly made a statement with this appointment, even if it says a few different things about the national game.

Tuchel is obviously a coup. Given that the major clubs tend to get all the best managers in the modern game in recent years, but it’s difficult to see how England could do better in terms of quality for this appointment. Jurgen Klopp had no interest. Pep Guardiola was nowhere close to giving any kind of decision, and may not have been interested anyway.

Tuchel was the next choice on the list and maybe that next level down in terms of status, but that could well end up making him the most tactically adept coach at the next World Cup. He is also ‘box office’, something that is seen as all the more important given that 2026 is going to be the most commercially lucrative football tournament in history, estimated to generate $11bn. There are other opportunities there beyond the trophy.

There may even be advantages over Guardiola, too. While the Manchester City manager dogmatically adheres to an ideology that may not work as well without the time and intensity of the club game, Tuchel has proven much more pragmatic. He would see himself as part of Guardiola’s “positional” school but is perfectly willing to change his own stance depending on the match. Tuchel proved that repeatedly in big games against the City manager, especially one of the grandest of all, the 2021 Champions League victory with Chelsea.

That stage perfectly illustrated how he can impose a winning system for a one-off game, which is the essence of tournament football. A significant caveat is that this approach can mean the football is more drab, but that is also offset by his charismatic personality. It’s a fiery personality, too, which is where this could get interesting. At the least, it’s not like Tuchel can argue with the FA about transfers.

Thomas Tuchel celebrates winning the Champions League with Chelsea in Porto (Dave Shopland/BPI/Shutterstock)

He will face debate from other quarters about how he is German. Some columns are likely to be scathing, especially given the recent furore over Carsley and the national anthem.

It goes without saying that England’s real-world history with his home nation shouldn’t be mentioned in any of this, even as some fans sing “10 German bombers”. That, like such a chant, should be left in the past. Any arguments in that direction are an absurdity.

It could be said that England’s football rivalry with Germany is a touch more relevant, but not much more. Tuchel is an anglophile, which is why he has taken the job. He knows many of the players from his time at Chelsea. He and captain Harry Kane already have a great relationship. These are more advantages.

No, the only way his nationality really matters is in what this says about the English game. It is the message that it sends about the coaching pathway the FA has spent a decade overhauling the entire football culture to become one of the most admired in the world. Other major nations are enthused about it, not least the players that Tuchel now has available.

Thomas Tuchel left Bayern Munich in May (Getty Images)

And still the FA makes a move that those other nations would not. England remain the only modern World Cup-winning country to appoint a foreign coach, and this is their third. There are bigger debates to be had over whether this is what international football is supposed to be about. People will point to how it is routine among smaller nations, but that’s fair enough. It almost represents an equaliser to balance the field against bigger nations.

England should not need that equaliser, even if it’s now clear they need a tournament winner.

That does add a tinge of desperation to the appointment since it is such a sudden deviation from an idea. The FA admittedly never said they would only go for English coaches but that’s part of the point. They had been doing so much to develop them. It’s maybe just that bit more understandable given how close they have come in the last few years and how long that wait is.

Aside from this third foreign coach, England’s infamous 60 years is more than any major nation has had to wait for another trophy. Something had to be done.

Thomas Tuchel embraces Pep Guardiola (Getty Images)

It is also in keeping with English football culture in another way. This is a move straight out of the Premier League. If you can’t create it yourself, just buy it in.

Maybe it is a fitting message in that sense. It says more about English football than anything else.

Tuchel is close to Harry Kane after coaching him at Bayern Munich (AP)

The defence will also be that Tuchel can help ‘up-skill’ coaches like Carsley.

These are all debates that will run and run, right into the World Cup itself, and probably past the final.

It’s just that those debates will have a very different tone if Tuchel does manage to win it. None of the talk can compare to the emotion of victory. That is what this appointment is all about.