'Just nuances," Thomas Tuchel says. As an outsider turned insider, England's new permanent manager was mulling over the team's long history of falling short. Was it tactical? A lack of individual quality? Perhaps, but in Tuchel's eyes losing a major final on penalties or to a late goal was not necessarily evidence of a seismic failing. Sometimes, as the German says, success in international football really is just about mastering the little details in the biggest moments.
That said, the Football Association's hope is that replacing Gareth Southgate with one of the world's leading managers will ensure that England finally add a second star to the shirt.
Tuchel does not hang around. The German's aim is simple: win the 2026 World Cup. It is safe to assume that he will not view this job as a "process" or a "project".
For a character such as Tuchel, winning is everything. It took him four months to turn Chelsea from a mid-table team into the champions of Europe. For the FA, after Southgate lost two finals, a semi-final and a quarter-final by the finest of margins, the thinking has to be that a manager with Tuchel's knockout record at club level could be the missing ingredient for England.
Questions of nationality aside, it is hard to argue with the appointment. But an interesting pushback against the argument that the England manager should be English, because international football is supposed to be our best against yours, is that the FA's task had to be to hire a world-class manager.
The appeal is obvious. A view from close to the England camp is that a squad full of stars needs guidance from a big manager.
Where are the suitable English candidates with heaving trophy cabinets and a record of handling elite players? Graham Potter foundered at Chelsea. Eddie Howe has had one season in the Champions League at Newcastle.
Denne historien er fra October 18, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra October 18, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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