Southgate’s achievement in twice coming agonisingly close, denied by penalties in the Euro 2020 final and by an 86th minute decider four years later, earned him a knighthood. Thomas Tuchel is ineligible for such an honour. But he has medals from the Champions League, the Bundesliga and Ligue Un. A manager whose contract only lasts until 2026 will be charged with winning the World Cup. He has at least already won the Club World Cup.
Tuchel officially started work on New Year’s Day, though he attended December’s draw in Zurich to determine England’s opponents in World Cup qualifying: Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra do not promise to form a pool of death. “It’s a difficult group,” said Tuchel but qualifying has rarely presented a problem for England since Steve McClaren failed to reach Euro 2008 and the German is a manager with a proven expertise in knockout football. Besides his Champions League win with Chelsea, Tuchel steered Paris Saint-Germain to the final and Bayern Munich to within a few minutes of it.
His reign starts in earnest against Albania on 21 March. There are some issues to navigate first. If Southgate excelled as an ambassadorial figure, Tuchel comes with complexities. He can be charming and witty in his second language; in any tongue, he has proved blunt and has fallen out with people.
The England job can call for diplomatic skills. Especially, perhaps, for a German. Lee Carsley’s interim reign began with a needless furore about his decision not to sing the national anthem. A Birmingham-born manager of England’s Under-21s is also a former Republic of Ireland international. He also seemed taken aback by the level of scrutiny. That, at least, will not surprise Tuchel.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 02, 2025 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 02, 2025 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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