Thomas Tuchel is supposed to win England their first World Cup title since 1966. His CV and results give hope, but the trainer doesn’t spark much love on the island. As is often the case.
There are very few coaches who have had as much success with as many clubs as Thomas Tuchel. He won the DFB Cup with Borussia Dortmund, won the double with Paris St. Germain and made it to the Champions League final. He won that in 2021 with FC Chelsea, and he at least became champion with FC Bayern Munich.
Tuchel’s advantage as National coach
Nevertheless, Tuchel has not received the love at any of these clubs that other coaches would have experienced with such successes. Whether during his tenure or afterwards, there was massive criticism of the now 52-year-old from all four clubs. And each time it was about hardly accepting any compromises and ultimately falling out with his superiors. Diplomacy is not Tuchel’s strong suit, so he left a lot of scorched earth behind – but not in a sporting way.
Perhaps that was one reason why the task of taking over the English national team appealed to him so much. And perhaps that was one reason why the English FA wanted him. Tuchel doesn’t have to argue with anyone about transfers, he puts his team together himself, does his own thing in terms of sport and has significantly more decision-making authority than as a club coach. And when it comes to decisions, Tuchel is often right, otherwise he wouldn’t have these successes.
A squad without Foden, Palmer and Alexander Arnold
This also continues in England, of the 14 games under him the “Three Lions” won eleven, there were only two defeats in friendly matches and only victories in the World Cup qualification. And yet anything but Tuchel euphoria has broken out on the island. Right from the start there was criticism that the win was too unspectacular, but there is even more intense discussion – and above all scolding – when “the professor” moves to nominate the squad.
The outcry around his 26 World Cup players was huge because professionals who have a huge name in England were not there. These include Phil Foden (Manchester City), Cole Palmer (Chelsea) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), who would certainly have been there with the majority of the “57 million national coaches” in England. But Tuchel didn’t build a squad for the console with the best individual players; he needs a team that works.
Phil Foden (l.) and Cole Palmer played with England in the European Championship final in 2024.
No National coach has as big a selection as Tuchel
And in general, in this particular constellation the question arises: Can a coach of the English national team actually make a choice when making a selection that is not publicly torn apart? The answer is very simple in the country of the best league in the world: no. And it’s not about discussions about additional players, but about possible permanent staff. Harry Maguire (Manchester United), for example, would have been expected as such, but now Tuchel has dispensed with him completely.
According to transfermarkt.de, there are 49 English players who have a market value of at least 30 million euros – so Tuchel definitely had to leave 23 of them at home, and 31 have. Even France, which has the most valuable squad, doesn’t come close to this number with 33 “over 30 million players”. There were 21 professionals in this value category available for national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
With a rumored market value of 130 million euros, Jude Bellingham is the most valuable Englishman.
Nowhere does such a large crowd have so much class, which makes it all the more difficult to put together the right team that combines quality and quantity. “Everything I know about international football and everything I hear about it is that it’s about chemistry. It’s so obvious that teams win titles”said Tuchel at the squad presentation – with the emphasis on teams. Not individual players, but the best symbiosis.
Tuchel: Believe in the World Cup title, but not a favorite
“I firmly believe in us. We all have faith and one dream. But we’re not the favorites because of history. It’s a bit like Wimbledon: If you’ve never won it before or last won it 60 years ago, you’re probably not the favorite. But of course you can win it, and we want to win it.”said Tuchel about England’s main goal of winning a final at a major tournament for the first time since the 1966 World Cup.
The England coach continued: “We know what it takes: an absolutely calm mindset and focus on the next steps. If we want to reach the top of the mountain, we have to take the journey step by step and move from base camp to base camp.” These are probably statements that no one in England, who starts the tournament against Croatia on Wednesday, wants to hear. How can he not call the Premier League country favorites to win the World Cup?
Before Tuchel, Gareth Southgate had worked for eight years under the pressure of having to bring a title to the island. In 2018 he made it to the World Cup semi-finals, in 2022 to the quarter-finals, and at the European Championships in 2020 and 2024 there were defeats in the final. Southgate did not fulfill his assignment, Tuchel was handed it over. A German is supposed to take the final step with England – as so often, he has to do it as Nobody’s Darling.