Thomas Tuchel has officially been announced as the new England head coach, following the departure of Gareth Southgate on 16 July. The next England manager odds had risen considerably up until the 51-year-old’s hire.
While the decision has been welcomed by many, it has also been heavily scrutinized, particularly by the media. With Thomas Tuchel being German, rather than English, it has marked him as a poor choice. However, there is a lot more to the man than just being German. Tuchel has a track record that has earned him his place as the new England head coach.
Tactically, Tuchel is flexible with his formations. However, there has always been a constant firm foundation in his teams. Thomas Tuchel’s teams are known for their great defensive ability. This was key to Chelsea‘s UEFA Champions League triumph in Porto. In every team he coaches, he aims to build a strong defensive foundation in order to allow his attackers to play creatively.
If there is an area that Thomas Tuchel has proven himself in, it is knockout football. International football is knockout football. Tuchel’s managerial record at Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich is living proof that he can handle the pressure of being England’s head coach.
PSG
The German was the manager of PSG for two and a half seasons. He joined the French team in the summer of 2018, before being dismissed at the end of December 2020.
Managing Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Thiago Silva in France’s capital, Tuchel won silverware 6 times, with the first 2 coming in his first season. He was crowned victor in 4 out of 6 Cup finals and won Ligue 1 twice.
In the 2018/19 Coupe de France, his PSG side did not concede until the final. In the final, they faced Rennes, with the game going to penalties after a 2-2 draw. PSG lost 6-5 on penalties.
In his second season, it was 4 trophies for Tuchel. Alongside a successful title retention of Ligue 1, PSG won the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions and also got to the UEFA Champions League final where they faced German giants Bayern Munich.
PSG conceded only four goals in the 2019/20 Coupe de France, twice in the Coupe de la Ligue and only five in their UCL campaign. What was most impressive about their second season under Thomas Tuchel was that PSG got to the Champions League final for the first – and only – time in their history.
Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel joined Chelsea on 26 January 2021, replacing the struggling Frank Lampard. By April, he had gotten Chelsea to the FA Cup final, which they lost to Liverpool. A month later, Tuchel was a champion of Europe. Despite Chelsea being the underdogs throughout that UCL campaign, Tuchel got them through to the finals where they faced Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.
Chelsea won their second Champions League trophy after Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the final. The Blues ended their UCL campaign with nine clean sheets, only conceding four goals.
The 2021 UEFA Super Cup was also Chelsea’s, along with the FIFA Club World Cup, with the final played in February 2022. That marked three trophies at Chelsea within a little over a year of having the job.
Bayern Munich
Tuchel was dismissed by Chelsea in September 2022. In March of 2023, Bayern Munich announced the German as their new head coach. Tuchel went on to win the 2022/23 Bundesliga title and the 2022 DFL Supercup.
The 2023/24 season was tough for Bayern Munich, especially in the league. However, Tuchel, a knockout football warrior put up a fight in the Champions League.
In the quarterfinals of the 2023/24 UCL, the German side faced a strong Arsenal team, beating them 3-2 on aggregate. It was in the semifinals that they were knocked out by Real Madrid, 4-3 on aggregate. Los Blancos went on to win the final.
Tuchel’s dismissal from Bayern Munich was officially announced in March, which he saw through at the end of the season.
Why England Should Be Excited
A common factor in the three teams mentioned above is that they are teams that weren’t necessarily ‘built for winning’. With teams flawed with struggling players with great potential, Tuchel was still able to use their strengths to win him titles. England for many years now has been a team that is not ‘built for winning’.
A strong winning mentality is what England need and is what Tuchel has. Knockout football is Thomas Tuchel’s specialty. He just might be the one to bring England back to glory.