MANCHESTER, England (AP) — In a bid to end its decades-long wait to win a second World Cup, England has put its fate in the hands of a German.
It’s fair to say the appointment of Thomas Tuchel was not universally well received.
“I’m sorry I have a German passport,” the serial-winning former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach quipped at his official unveiling in 2024.
He had woken that morning to some unflattering headlines in the British
media.
The Daily Mail described it as a “dark day for England” and said the national team had gambled on a “GERMAN.”
The leader of the right-wing Reform Party Nigel Farage asked on X: “Why can’t we have an English manager?”
Never mind that Tuchel was a Champions League winner who had lifted trophies in three different countries. Or the fact that England has gone down the foreign route before: a Swedish coach in Sven-Goran Eriksson and an Italian in Fabio Capello. And in the days before Tuchel’s appointment, there were rumors that Pep Guardiola was also a leading candidate.
A point of contention was the fact that Germany has long-been England’s biggest soccer rival. Since winning the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany, England has often struggled against the Germans in major tournaments. Some England fans have brought 20th-century history to the rivalry with provocative chants taunting Germany about World War II.
Debate about Tuchel's nationality, however, dissipated quickly, helped by his easy-going charm when dealing with the media and a perfect winning record during England's World Cup qualifying campaign.
According to professor Jan Rüger, author of the upcoming book “Great Powers: A History of Britain and Germany,” the wider reaction to Tuchel's appointment points to a change in Anglo-German relations after the tensions that prevailed in the decades following two world wars.
“There were questions, but it certainly hasn’t turned into an ongoing saga in the way in which it would have in the 1990s or even around the turn of the century,” Rüger told The Associated Press. "Then it would have been unthinkable to have a German manager.
“Germany really isn’t the bad guy anymore. That’s long since passed. I don’t think it works portraying Germany as the bogeyman.”
Time will tell if Tuchel is portrayed as a hero or villain at the World Cup. If England fails, his nationality might be raised again. But England managers of the past have been the subject of brutal criticism by fans and media, regardless of what it says on their passport.
Tuchel's predecessor Gareth Southgate was widely credited with making England fans fall back in love with the national team during his eight-year spell, yet he faced a torrent of abuse from sections of supporters during the 2024 European Championship, with plastic beer glasses thrown in his direction after one match.
Southgate departed after leading England to back-to-back Euros finals and the World Cup semifinals in 2018.
He goes down as the nation's second most successful manager after Alf Ramsey, who led England to World Cup victory in 1966.
If Tuchel can end England's trophy wait, he would become a national treasure.
“Everyone in the squad, the staff, everyone believes we can win it,” midfielder Kobbie Mainoo said.
Tuchel stunned some fans and players with his squad selection for the World Cup, leaving out big names including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It was evidence that he would not be swayed by public opinion, which has been a criticism of previous coaches.
“Everything I know about international football tells me that tournaments are won by teams, not individuals,” he said. “What we’re trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team."
Midfielder Jordan Henderson was one of the surprise inclusions at the age of 35.
“I know everybody likes to speak about players that aren’t here, unfortunately that’s the case with every England squad really," Henderson said. “There’s so many good players, so much talent, but for us as a squad here, it’s about being together and we’re here for a reason and it’s about bringing that, being the best version of yourself, being best version individually and collectively, working every day to achieve our dreams.”
Tuchel is the 14th coach tasked with the challenge of ending England's trophy drought, which now stretches to 60 years.
After Southgate's departure the English Football Association said it was looking for a candidate to “win a major tournament”. That might sound obvious, but even coaches who had won big prizes with club teams such as Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, Eriksson and Capello could not emulate that success with England.
Southgate got closer than anyone since Ramsey despite a modest coaching career before being handed the national job.
His success appeared to be grounded in developing a connection both within his squad and with supporters. As a former player who missed a penalty in a semifinal shootout defeat to Germany at Euro 1996, his emotional understanding of what it means to represent England appeared to resonate with a new generation.
As a foreign coach — albeit one who coached in the Premier League with Chelsea — Tuchel cannot bring that same dynamic to the role.
He does, however, fit the description of a winner of major tournaments, having led Chelsea to the Champions League in 2021. He was also Champions League finalist with Paris Saint-Germain.
He won league titles in France with PSG and Germany with Bayern Munich.
In Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, he has three of the biggest stars in European soccer and enough talent at his disposal that he felt able to leave out the likes of Foden and Palmer.
“I love the difficult decisions and I love the tough decisions because they bring in the end clarity, they bring a certain edge, and it’s what you need to go all the way," Tuchel said. “From day one, we said we will always try to select and build the best group, which is maybe not necessarily just to collect the best talents.”
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
