England justifies contested choice Thomas Tuchel

The English federation (FA) had the merit of not hanging around. Interim coach since the departure of Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley had declared in recent days that he did not yet see himself cut out to occupy such a position permanently. “This position deserves a world-class coach who has won trophies… and I am still on track to achieve that. I think it’s important that I do my best. It is a privilege to do this work. I feel confident. It’s a great job and whoever gets it will deserve it.»

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Faced with this admission of rare lucidity in today’s world of football, the English press logically began looking for the future boss of the Three Lions. The names of Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola were quickly released. The first had been free since his departure from Bayern Munich last season, while the second, whose contract with Manchester City ends in June 2025, left doubts about his future. In the end, it was Tuchel who won. On paper, the FA has scored a nice coup. However, the induction of the coach who won Chelsea’s last Champions League in 2021 is far from arousing general enthusiasm.

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England: Thomas Tuchel reveals why he refused Manchester United

Tuchel beat 9 competitors

One of the reasons given is not really a surprise: Tuchel is not English. Indeed, if we put aside the Irish interim Carsley, this is the first time since 2012 (and the end of Fabio Capello’s reign) that a foreigner has taken the reins of the Three Lions. A remark that did not escape Tuchel. But the German showed his credentials. “I’m sorry I have a German passport. Perhaps these supporters sensed my passion for the Premier League and the country, how much I love living and working here. I hope I can convince them and show them how proud I am to be England manager. I’m proud. » Present alongside the new coach, Mark Bullingham, the general director of the FA, also took the floor to explain the process which led the federation to put its trust in a foreign coach again.

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“The whole process was confidential. I understand that this can sometimes be frustrating for people, but we had to keep this confidential for us, but also, more importantly, for the candidates. We interviewed around ten people, including a few English candidates. We had put in place a very clear recruitment plan before the Euro. John McDermott (the FA technical director, editor’s note) and the team developed the ideal profile of an international coach and a shortlist if we needed one. After Gareth resigned, we executed this plan, meeting and evaluating potential candidates. Thomas has been absolutely outstanding, providing a clear vision of how we will work with our players to get the best out of them and give ourselves a chance of competing at the World Cup. We had a very clear process in place, we spoke to about 10 people throughout the process. It is clear that some people were better suited to this role than others. We are absolutely delighted to have chosen Thomas and we believe he gives us the best chance of winning the World Cup.”. Now to work.