England Find their man - Thomas Tuchel!
23/10/2024 16:29:27
Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager following England’s 2-1 defeat in the final of the European Championships back in July. Southgate had had a somewhat successful rein with the English national team, although he did not pick up that all important silverware that English fans and players desperately want. Southgate reached the World Cup semi final in his first major tournament as manager in 2018, bringing belief back to the English national team. In Euro 2020 (which was played in 2021) England reached their first major final since the 1966 World Cup, but were on the losing end on penalties to Italy.
The following year at the 2022 World Cup is where Southgate’s problems began. It seemed he had become a victim of his own success at England, with many calling for him to be sacked, after they lost the World Cup quarter final, 2-1, against a very strong French side who made it all the way to the final, narrowly losing on penalties to Argentina. In Southgate’s last major tournament as England manager they would lose the aforementioned Euro 2024 final to Spain. It seems that Southgate brought England as far as he could. He definitely returned the belief the fans have for the national tem, with it being at a low point when he took over. Now England need a manager who is going to take them to the next level and win trophies. They are doing this as they are now looking at a manager with winning experience but also with Premier League experience.
Thomas Tuchel
It looks for all the world barring a very late twist that German manager Thomas Tuchel will take over as England manager. Journalists are reporting that he has agreed to become the England manager and we can expect an announcement from the FA soon. The question is, is Tuchel the answer for England? As mentioned earlier, England needs a manager who has experience winning trophies. At Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel won the DFB Pokal. At PSG, Tuchel won 3 Ligue 1 titles in 3 years, as well as the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and the Trophee des Champions twice. While he was Chelsea manager, Tuchel won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Most recently he was manager of Bayern Munich, winning the 2022/23 Bundesliga title, but failing to win the league last season led to his departure. Tuchel has been successful everywhere he has gone, and England will hope he can replicate this. One thing about Tuchel is he tends not to spend long at clubs. The longest he spent at a club was the 5 years at Mainz from 2009- 2014. Since then he was at Dortmund from 2015- 2017, PSG from 2018- 2020, Chelsea from 2021-2022 and Bayern Munich from 2023- 2024. England will hope that Tuchel will be in for the long haul and will be a success.
Tuchel has everything it takes to be a success at international tournaments, giving his success in knockout football, winning 3 domestic cups as manager as well as losing two finals on penalties with Chelsea, and also winning the Champions League and reaching a Champions League final with PSG in 2020.
"It looks for all the world barring a very late twist that German manager Thomas Tuchel will take over as England manager. The question is, is Tuchel the answer for England?"
Tuchel’s Former Players
One thing is for certain is that Tuchel will inherit a strong squad, including some of his former players. England captain Harry Kane was signed by Tuchel at Bayern Munich. In total, Tuchel managed 16 English players, although players like Lewis Baker and Marcus Betinelli made 1 appearance under Tuchel, and will not feature in his English plans. Some notable English players that he did manage are Ross Barkley, Trevor Chalobah, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling, Eric Dier, Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Mason Mount, as well as the previously mentioned Harry Kane. Many of these players have ot been in England’s plans for sometime and they will hope that they can show their former manager something that can bring them back to the national team fold.
Thomas Tuchel looks like on paper being an excellent appointment for England. He is a proven winner and has experience in English football, having previously managed Chelsea. He was one of the names being linked with the Manchester United job, but obviously now this will not materialise.
English players, fans and media will hope he can be the one to England’s wait for their second major trophy, a wait that is currently 58 years and will be 60 years by the time of the next tournament, the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the U.S.A.
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✒️ Jack Guing – Football and GAA Sports Expert
Jack Guing has a strong knowledge of the sport of GAA through the lens of performance analysis with multiple GAA teams. He holds a master's degree in sports performance. He has a huge love of all things sports, especially golf, soccer and GAA. He uses statistics and performance analysis in order to predict the outcome of matches and events.
