A ‘desperate’ England have been mocked by a German newspaper editor for their appointment of Thomas Tuchel – after they turned to a ‘German dad’.
Tuchel’s appointment was confirmed on Wednesday morning, with the former Bayern Munich manager set to take charge of the Three Lions from the start of January next year.
He is the third foreign man to take charge of the Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, and will earn £6million-a-year for his duties in a bid to win the World Cup.
Having spent time at Chelsea, where he won the Champions League, he moved onto Bayern Munich and has also spent time as Borussia Dortmund boss in his homeland.
His appointment, however, has been mocked by the editor of Bild, Matthias Brugelmann, who has claimed that England turning to a German manager shows their desperation for success.
German newspaper Bild have mocked England for their appointment of Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel has had a mixed time of things in Germany throughout his career. most recently failing to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said Tuchel ‘stood out’ as a candidate ‘with his vast expertise and his drive’
‘Let’s talk about Thomas Tuchel and the English,’ Brugelmann wrote. ‘The motherland of football is getting a German dad. Crazy!
‘Since 1966 – since 1966!!!! – the proud football nation has been waiting for a title (and sorry, even the World Cup victory was only possible because the referee made a mistake on the Wembley goal). So it will soon be 60 years without a title. In that time we have become world champions three times and European champions three times. Oops.
‘The desperation on the island must be enormous if they admit that only a German can help now. What a tribute to Tuchel and German football that the English are overcoming their fears despite the huge rivalry.’
England and Germany have traditionally been rivals and taken part in countless classic encounters over the years, including the 1966 World Cup final, a clash at the World Cup in 2010 and another trilled at Euro 2020.
But that has been looked past on this occasion, with FA CEO Mark Bullingham saying Tuchel ‘stood out with his vast expertise and his drive’ and Tuchel pointing towards ‘a personal connection to the game in this country’ as a key factor for his decision.
Brugelmann warned Tuchel that he must change, however, if he is to succeed with England, in what is regularly dubbed one of the most relentless roles in the game.
‘Tuchel has to change!’ he wrote. ‘He should quickly shed the thin-skinnedness with which he reacted to criticism at Bayern, for example. Compared to the tough, brutal British TV pundit hell surrounding [Jamie] Carragher, [Gary] Neville & [Gary] Lineker, [Didi] Hamann and [Lothar] Matthaus were kindergarten.
The German spent time as Borussia Dortmund manager earlier on in his career before he moved to England
During his time with Chelsea, he won the Champions League before taking over at Bayern Munich
He also met Prince William – the future King of England – during his time as Blues boss
The likes of Eddie Howe were linked with the job, but Tuchel becomes the third foreign boss of the men’s team
‘The quality of the team around [Harry] Kane and [Jude] Bellingham is great. Alongside Spain, Germany, Argentina and France, England is the title candidate for 2026. But while [Julian] Nagelsmann was celebrated for reaching the quarter-finals of the European Championship (with Germany), after decades of frustration and tears, the only thing that counts is the title. Nothing else.
‘Tuchel can become immortal. It is understandable that the job appeals to him.’
The likes of Eddie Howe and Graham Potter were suggested as potential candidates for the role, but Tuchel will be the first foreign boss of the Three Lions since Capello left in 2012.