Tuchel’s charm can’t mask England’s biggest problem

There were more than a few moments when Thomas Tuchel was speaking and Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham looked visibly proud.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

One was when the new England manager spoke of wanting to put “a second star on the shirt”, at which point Bullingham sat back and almost puffed out his chest.

Everyone was open about the fact that this is solely about 2026, with even Tuchel outright talking of getting “England over the line”. It’s as simple as that. Tuchel also spoke of “making our dream come true in America”, since these are, of course, his dreams now, too.

The German had a lot of these lines, since he knows what buttons to push. This effect on players is one of the reasons that the FA picked him, since his charisma can be captivating. That is all the more positive when this World Cup is going to be by far the most commercially lucrative in history, at an anticipated revenue of $11bn. Everyone knows Tuchel can speak, and this introductory press conference obviously wasn’t a first impression. That knowledge of England is one of the reasons he is here.

That was why it was almost as interesting that the day seemed to reveal that it was important for the FA to persuade Tuchel as much as for Tuchel to persuade the FA. While Bullingham spoke of how the 51-year-old gave an “outstanding” interview and such a “clear vision” for how exactly England can win the World Cup, Tuchel himself was enthused about the “idea” and “the way” that Bullingham and technical director John McDermott “presented it”. That response was all the more pointed given that it came in a question about Manchester United’s pursuit of the German. Tuchel merely said it was “a decision for this job”, but didn’t exactly deny the interest or any discussions.