German? English? Who cares? Tuchel is the BEST manager for England

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 16 Oct 2024 19:44 BST
• 4 min read

The decision over England’s next manager would always generate debate but Thomas Tuchel’s appointment has strangely left some people pointing to his passport instead of his CV.

Tuchel was named as England manager on Wednesday, having been outlined as the strongest candidate to succeed Gareth Southgate after months of searching.

Having won a shock Champions League as Chelsea manager, while also winning league and cup titles in Germany and France, Tuchel is, on paper, the coach with the highest expertise and qualifications to take on the demanding task of managing England.

READ MORE: Tuchel responds to criticism over nationality for England job

England had wanted Pep Guardiola but the Manchester City boss was not ready to make a decision on his future currently, while English coaches such as Eddie Howe and interim manager Lee Carsley had ruled themselves out of the running.

The situation left Tuchel as the outstanding candidate but the German’s appointment saw sensationalist headlines of England being a ‘laughing stock’ and calls from former internationals to have hired an English coach instead.

But having seen Southgate try – and fail – to lead England to silverware, persisting with an inferior coach just to appease a nationalist desire would only continue to hold the national team back and truly make the country a laughing stock on the pitch where it matters.

England are their own enemies at breeding elite coaches

Most football fans would agree that the ideal manager to lead a country at international would be a native of that nation, however the place of birth of a manager should not take precedent over genuine ability and pedigree.

Graham Potter would have likely been the sole English coach with some experience to have a genuine shout at the job, despite bizarre calls for failed managers such as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard to be considered.

But even Potter failed to match Tuchel’s achievements at Chelsea, while another leading candidate in Carsley represented Ireland at international level, already making a confusing mockery of the qualifications needed to satisfy some demands.

One would have to imagine how outlandish calls for an English manager would have been had Guardiola decided to take the job, given his status as the best coach in modern football, particularly had he been neglected for a lesser manager purely due to his heritage.

READ MORE: Winners and losers of Tuchel being named as England boss

Perhaps a more meaningful discussion would be to question why the FA charge nearly £10,000 to train for a UEFA Pro License – almost 20 times the cost in Germany.

Such preventative measures has led to only 10% of non ex-professionals passing the ‘A’ license course and meaning less than 250 British people holding the Pro License – a necessity to manage at the top level.

The decision to appoint Tuchel gives England the best chance of ending their near-60 year wait for a trophy and that is a move by the FA that deserves credit, particularly being aware at how sensitive of a subject appointing a foreign manager is, let alone a German boss.

As seen by England’s female team winning the Euros under a German coach in 2022, success transcends nationality and Tuchel should only be judged by his trophy cabinet in 2026, not his passport.