Note perfect Tuchel finds right tone for big unveil

New England manager was unfazed by the occasion with his charm, self-belief and humour on show at Wembley

- David Hytner

It said plenty about Thomas Tuchel's easy charm, his ability to read the room and say the right things. In this case, the incoming England manager had read the walls, noticing a famous quotation from Pelé in one of the Wembley hospitality boxes and logging it. That could work, he thought.

The press conference room at the stadium was packed, the sense of anticipation palpable. It tells you something when the TV cameras at the sides are pointed at the audience. They wanted to get a sense of the scale of the occasion. Moments before 1.30pm, John McDermott walked in to take a seat towards the back, the Football Association's technical director accompanied by Anthony Barry, the incoming assistant manager, and Olaf Meinking, Tuchel's PR man. And then there he was, the angular figure of Tuchel, blond highlights in his hair, striding to the stage with the FA's chief executive, Mark Bullingham.

It would practically be the first thing that Tuchel said, 10 seconds or so into his opening address. "I just had the chance to read a quote from Pelé in the building at Wembley who said that Wembley is the heart, the capital and the cathedral of football," Tuchel said.

"I think he was absolutely right." Tuchel pretty much went from there, the tone of everything note perfect. There was the faintly amused expression, the twinkle in the eyes - familiar to the London media corps from his 18-month spell at Chelsea. The self-belief and the humour, too, to get him out of tight spots.