The FA are allowing England manager Thomas Tuchel to make trips back to Germany after taking charge of the Three Lions in January, signing an 18-month contract worth £7.5million
Former England boss Fabio Capello has slammed Thomas Tuchel’s controversial work-from-home agreement with the FA. Tuchel’s reign as England manager kicked off on Friday, with the Three Lions beating Albania 2-0 at Wembley to get their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start.
But aside from tactics and team selections, there’s been plenty of conversation regarding his commitment to the role which will see him earn £7.5million over his 18-month contract. Tuchel, 51, received criticism in some quarters because he waited until January to start his job, despite being appointed in October.
It later emerged that the ex-Chelsea boss didn’t attend Premier League matches on three of his first six weekends since his start date. This was due to him travelling back to Germany and spending time his family.
The FA have defended their arrangement, insisting that Tuchel lives in London and is based at St George’s Park in Burton-Upon-Trent. Capello, who managed England between 2008 and 2012, has slammed the 51-year-old, claiming that he wouldn’t dream of going home to Italy and only watching matches on TV or his laptop.
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“You have to go and check the players every game,” Capello affirmed, speaking to the Mail. “Not on TV. Live. On TV, you can see one part of the pitch. But when you go to the match, you can see every moment. The ball is one part, but tactics, positions, everything. You have to see that. I went every Saturday, every Sunday. I saw a lot, a lot, a lot of the games.
“You have to live in England, absolutely. You have to live the culture, everything. I went to the office, to Wembley, every day, with Franco Baldini. Only the day after the games, Monday, did I stay at home.”
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The Italian, who 17 trophies during his managerial career, two of which were later revoked, is no stranger to criticising Tuchel. Capello slammed the German’s ‘incredible mistakes’ and accused him of doing ‘everything wrong’ as he led Bayern Munich to defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Doubling down on those comments, Capello said: “The manager decides during the game the substitutions. Sometimes good ideas, sometimes bad ideas. Bad choices. This is a problem.”
So, what problem does Tuchel need to solve with England? ‘Fear’, Capello says. “I saw the final against Italy (in 2021) and the final against Spain (in 2024) and always the same – they play with fear. No confidence, no bravery. Like a monkey on the back. Too many years without a trophy,” he explained.
“I remember the game against Italy. After 20 minutes, when they were winning 1-0, they started to waste time. Not running to take the free-kick, really, really slow with throw-ins, long balls from the ‘keeper. It was the same against Spain. They did not play like they did in the games before. It’s fear, fear, fear.”
He added: “Get the monkey off the back! When they play, normally they can beat everyone. But when they arrive closer to the final, the monkey becomes the biggest.
“Southgate’s team had a really good spirit. This is important to find. Find the team spirit and find the players at the top of their game. Because you have no time at training. It’s a very different job. They have good players, but I think it is possible to improve. Jude Bellingham is a really important player. He makes the difference.
“But one really important part you have to improve is the defenders. I don’t know if England can find someone young. I saw a lot of players but at centre-back, they have not a lot of English players. And the ‘keeper is a normal ‘keeper.”
England are back in qualifying action on Monday at home to Latvia.
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