Thomas Tuchel has finally started his role as Gareth Southgate’s successor as England manager, with the German hoping to lead the Three Lions to World Cup glory in 2026
Thomas Tuchel finally begins his journey to the World Cup on January 1.
And his mission is quite simple: to turn England into world champions. Actually achieving it is the really difficult part. Tuchel does inherit an England team which is fourth in the FIFA world rankings and they have been consistent challengers for the major tournaments.
World Cup semi finalists, they have also reached back-to-back finals in the European Championships, so the leap should not have to be that big. But Tuchel’s task is to get England over the line, to turn them into the nearly men from Gareth Southgate ’s reign and into winners.
That means bringing a new tactical approach, getting a balanced, settled team and potentially rebuilding an ageing defence. Tuchel admitted at the World Cup qualifying draw in Zurich that he must convince any doubters – but he insists he can do that.
His reign begins with back-to-back qualifiers at home to Albania and Latvia. They are expected to win them both. He will be a regular face at Premier League grounds. Proving himself will be his first aim because there has been a lot of noise about a German managing England and Tuchel will know every minor setback will be met with cynicism from some quarters.
But surely a massive part of recruiting Tuchel was from his time at Chelsea … he took over a team with huge potential, big players, they were drifting – and yet his shock treatment meant they were crowned European champions five months later.
Tuchel only has an 18 month contract and so the task could not be clearer. And it was also obvious that the FA moved on Tuchel to ensure they did not lose him to another big club job.
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If you ever needed an insight into the interest in England and also Tuchel managing England then it probably came at the World Cup draw. No country had as many media in attendance as England. When Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann came into the interview area, there were probably three journalists there.
When Craig Bellamy came from the broadcast area to have a chat, Tuchel arrived at the same time and even the Wales boss joked: “You can tell England are here.” It was a circus, a swarm of journalists following Tuchel and then a crowd around him which did not happen with any other manager. Not Germany, Spain or France. No-one.
The FA may have to be more front-of-shop themselves. Southgate became a national spokesman on a whole range of issues. Tuchel cannot be that man. Mark Bullingham, the chief executive, and technical director John McDermott may have to fill that void. Debbie Hewitt, the chair, is excellent.
Tuchel knows the expectation levels. And this is his first international job. But Tuchel carries a confidence and inner belief which makes him think he can do it. It is an 18 month gun-for-hire contract to win the World Cup for England.
If you think back to what he did with Chelsea and the Champions League in his first season, it feels like a good fit. Here, Mirror Football looks at Tuchel’s in-tray.
1) The midfield riddle
Solve this – and you unlock England’s potential. How do you get Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Co all into the same line-up behind Harry Kane? Answer: you can’t.
So, Tuchel’s challenge is to be ruthless, drop egos, big-names and find a balanced team which still accommodates the likes of Declan Rice and Harry Kane, too.
2) Left back
All those years ago, Sven Goran Eriksson trawled the Premier League for a left back… and gave Charlton’s Chris Powell a call-up out of nowhere.
Maybe Tuchel will have to dig deep to do the same because, at the moment, England’s left back issue is a glaring problem.
3) Ageing defence
You have to be realistic here. England’s golden period has been underpinned by a strong defence as well as quality in attack. But now they have John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire all over 30.
England’s hopes at the World Cup could be undermined by an ageing defence in decline – and Tuchel must find solutions. A call to Ben White will surely fall on deaf ears. The Arsenal defender does not seem very keen. But others must be given a chance.
4) Take the team round the country
There is a perfect chance in September when the World Cup qualifier with Andorra on September 6 falls slap bang in the middle of a set of Coldplay dates at Wembley.
Villa Park is first in the queue, having missed out on a previous game and would be a perfect chance to feel the positivity from England fans around the country.
5) Backroom staff
Tuchel has already confirmed Anthony Barry as his assistant. But the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss has said he wants a small, tight and trusted group of assistants.
Expect him to avoid a bloated group of coaches which can weigh other managers down. Tight and trusted – the team to lead England to the next World Cup.
6) Club relations
This is a funny one. Back in the day, Tuchel used to be as critical as any Premier League manager about call-ups and describe international football as a turn-off.
Now, Tuchel must get the clubs onside to really help build understanding, trust and co-operation when it comes to players reporting up. Gareth Southgate worked it quite well. But by the end of his reign, players had switched off and clubs had become difficult. Tuchel needs to kay down the law.
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