Thomas Tuchel is the first German to become England coach

A German as England’s national football coach – at first glance that sounds almost as alien as the title of Mark Twain’s satire: “A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur”. Because if there is something that endures in football, it is the rivalry between the English and the Germans.

So it has to be a special coach that officials and supporters alike could warm to; The English Football Association (FA) confirmed the agreement on Wednesday morning. And that is exactly Thomas Tuchel, 51 years old, former coach at Bayern Munich, Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain.

Tuchel was successful in many places

A career that is certainly impressive, because the name Tuchel usually guarantees success: the star ensemble from Paris was never better than under him – they were narrowly defeated by FC Bayern in the Champions League final. He took over Chelsea FC in a crisis and led them to immediate Champions League victory in 2021. The fact that he had problems at FC Bayern, where he was under contract until the end of last season, is normal as almost every coach there experiences the same thing. But no one in Munich will deny that he is a professional of the highest quality.

Nevertheless, the 51-year-old has a very special reputation. Tuchel is not only demanding, but also uncompromising, which is sometimes irritating. He brought Borussia Dortmund into shape, but he fell out with a number of people at the club who had a little more say. At FC Bayern, the sometimes refreshingly open communication with which Tuchel readily gave information about everything and everyone that was not necessarily well received in the club was irritating.

The fact that he will now take over the Three Lions in England as Gareth Southgate’s successor is due to the excellent reputation he has acquired as coach of Chelsea FC. Shortly after the start of the Ukraine War, the club came under enormous pressure because of its then Russian owner Roman Abramowitsch. The club was heavily sanctioned because of its Russian owner, but Tuchel stayed. His saying at a press conference is legendary: If nothing else helped, he would drive a minibus if necessary.

He once coached his role model Guardiola

Humor in the face of the crisis: This was perceived as all the more impressive since Tuchel had achieved what was probably the greatest success in the club’s history nine months earlier: As outsiders, the previously crisis-stricken Londoners prevailed against Manchester City – the team coached by Tuchel’s idol Josep Guardiola becomes. The former admiration for the mastermind from Catalonia has given way to a mixture of professional respect and rivalry. And in the final, the favorite’s coach racked his brain until he made a crucial mistake and left out his best player, the Spaniard Rodri.

It remains to be seen whether the England national team will be a place for tactical finesse for Tuchel. In fact, Tuchel is facing the most talented generation of English players in 20 years. The fact that he is given greater opportunities than his predecessor Southgate is not due to his predecessor’s record, which is certainly not bad with two European Championship final appearances. In contrast to the thoughtful Southgate, who often proclaimed his wisdom with his notorious stomach-churning expression, Tuchel seems downright refreshing, hands-on and jovial. In England, people don’t know as much as they do in Germany that he can do things differently. The British boulevard can be happy.