England hiring ‘Toxic Thomas’ is leap of religion in bid for trophies – or tantrums
It would be some understatement to suggest Thomas Tuchel divides opinion.
Not least because the footballing establishment have appointed someone as England manager who riles against the establishment. And on the face of it, the FA have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous when it comes to the man now tasked with tackling the ‘Impossible Job’.
Most of former boss Gareth Southgate’s reign was measured, serene and successful. There was calm instead of chaos, and he said the things people wanted to hear. But now, with one huge leap of blind faith, the FA have put their trust in someone who could start a row in an empty room.
READ MORE: Tuchel’s every word on ‘huge privilege’ England job as manager makes vow
Click for more of thelatest football newsfrom the Daily Star.
Forget the fact he’s German, which is an irrelevant and archaic argument. What FA chief executive Mark Bellingham should be more concerned with is the fact that Tuchel’s success at club level has come at a high price.
Either Bullingham failed to do his due diligence, or he has a lot more courage than we gave him credit for. Tuchel is the man who woke up on Christmas Day in 2020 without a job, having been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain.
(Image: PA)
Just a few months after taking them to the Champions League final, the club’s owners grew tired of Tuchel’s petulant outbursts, while his relationship with sporting director Leonardo had been reduced to rubble. Less than a month later he was in charge of Chelsea.
And he went on to win the Champions League, beating Real Madrid in the semi-finals, before outwitting the great Pep Guardiola in the final in Porto.
He won two more trophies, but fell out with the board and his own players, and was sacked after 20 months in charge. Tuchel went on to manage Bayern Munich, where his time at the European giants ended in more acrimony. His nickname in the corridors of power at Bayern had become ‘Toxic Thomas’.
Have you worked out the common theme yet? To make matters worse, Tuchel has also presided over a colourful private life. Clouds of smoke tend to follow a manager now known as much for his tantrums as trophies.
(Image: PA)
Tuchel’s biographers called him the ‘Rulebreaker’. Someone who refuses to conform to the culture of the place he works at. So does this mean Tuchel will reject England’s so-called DNA, or turn his nose up at what St George’s Park stands for?
One thing is for certain, he will think he knows best. Just like Bullingham thinks he does in giving Tuchel the job, and making it clear he believes the 51-year-old gives England the best chance of winning the 2026 World Cup.
Tuchel doesn’t start work until January, but is under pressure from the very start. In a job like no other when it comes to scrutiny, opinion, demands, intrusion and recrimination.
It feels like a storm is coming, and time will tell us if it’s the perfect one. But one thing we do know is that Tuchel’s reign, however long it lasts, will not be dull. So buckle up, because it will be quite a ride.
