We hope you’re sitting down for this, but Thomas Tuchel is German. He’s also a boss considered to be at the very cutting edge of football progression, a meticulous forward-planner complete with a jaw-dropping tournament record, and a tactical innovator that even Pep Guardiola admits learning from. But the German thing is what matters, it seems.
Maybe international managers should be subject to the same eligibility criteria as the players. Maybe! But since they’re not, the FA have opted to slam a door in the face of Eddie Howe (didn’t want the job), Graham Potter (said he preferred club football), Lee Carsley (thought he wanted the job but then he didn’t) and Harry Redknapp (too pricey to buy out of his Soccer Aid contract).
So, Tuchel it is, and sceptics will have to console themselves with the fact he was the best candidate on the market.
His first task is one of evolution, not revolution. That fact, and many others, make him perfect for the role.
1 Tuchel At Dortmund
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Denne historien er fra December 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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How Liverpool have changed under new manager Arne Slot
The Reds have had to adapt to life without their legendary boss Jurgen Klopp, But their new managers tactical tweaks showed highly promising early signs
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Chelsea’s attacking star attracts plenty of mirth for his interviews, but he often displays unrivalled intelligence in the heat of Premier League action
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The Welsh international striker recalls growing up in Africa, humiliation at Derby and air strikes in Israel, not to mention a certain hat-tricks record...
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The lifelong Magpie opens up about earning Sir Bobby’s trust, his new career in the Middle East, and how Ruud van Nistelrooy knew I wanted to kick him”
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The former Italian shot-stopper tells FourFourTwo about following in his father’s footsteps at Milan and the game that changed Chelsea forever...
Why Thomas Tuchel is the perfect fit for the England job
The new gaffer might not have been born and bred in Barnsley, but he’s long proved himself to be particularly astute in high-profile knockout competitions
GREEN SHOOTS
Less than two years ago, Saint-Etienne were at real risk of relegation to the semi-professional third tier - unthinkable for a club who were the finest in France throughout the 1960s and '70s. Now Les Verts are back in the big time following last term's Ligue 2 play-off success. Oh, and they're also billionaires...
Why I love Scottish football
The legendary goal-getter recounts his strangest tales, featuring Graeme Souness punch-ups, broken sofas, Duncan Ferguson's errant pigeon and, of course, Gazza...
A MATCH WITH THE MONKS THE GREATEST COMPETITION PRIZE EVER
A globe-trotting FourFourTwo has gone beyond even Tanzania’s borders this month. American fan Matthew Eide of the Far Away Football blog ventured to equally mountainous Bhutan, after winning the most unusual of raffles...
