The Football Association promised an exhaustive search to find the best possible candidate to succeed Gareth Southgate and they have been true to their word.
The suspicion that they were waiting to anoint Lee Carsley the permanent England manager – a feeling that might have had some merit if the interim boss had maintained the poise he exhibited during the September international break – has proved unfounded.
Instead they have alighted on Thomas Tuchel, one of the world’s elite managers. Tuchel has won league titles in two different countries, a Champions League win and a world coach of the year award from 2021 on his CV. He occupies rarefied air in the coaching fraternity.
It is an impressively bold strategy that speaks of the FA’s desire to capitalise on the undoubted attacking talent in the squad and actually win something by any means necessary.
After all, Tuchel is not coming to St George’s Park to press the flesh with county heads and pose for photo opportunities on coaching courses. There is no development remit here, just a cold, hard desire to win.
There is something to be said for that and also for Carsley’s realisation that he is not the right man for the job. Perhaps if England were at a low ebb, had an ageing squad and needed a culture builder he might be worth a punt. But they are not.
England’s last four tournaments have seen them reach two finals, a semi-final and a quarter-final. What they now need to do is find a way, finally, to edge the big games against the heavyweight nations.
Tuchel, based on recent evidence, is a good bet to do that. He is not perfect – his final season at Bayern Munich unravelled, which is why he is on the market – but in the white heat of a final there are few better.
They held an interest in Pep Guardiola but that always felt like a long shot. We are told the Manchester City boss is intrigued by the England job – as much as anyone can ever work out what the enigmatic Catalan is thinking – but the FA probably know it’s a waiting game for Guardiola and not one with a guaranteed outcome. Hence why Tuchel emerged as front-runner.
The FA know they are opening themselves up to criticism going down this route. Taking a coach from the German school of management will feel like a betrayal to many of those bright young English talents waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves. If our own FA won’t take a chance on us, they are entitled to ponder, who will?
But it is easier said than done. Graham Potter was available but his time at Chelsea raised questions about his ability to cope under pressure.
And while i understands that there were some preliminary overtures to Eddie Howe when Southgate first resigned, there was little indication from the Newcastle United boss that he wanted to follow that up. He is committed to the role at St James’ Park.
Underneath that the cupboard is fairly bare when it comes to serious contenders. Frank Lampard? Good luck with that one after failing at Chelsea and Everton. Sean Dyche is a non-starter and Gary O’Neil, while rated highly in coaching circles, is struggling to cling on to his job at Wolves.
Appointing an English manager for the sake of it makes no sense. Appointing the best for a genuine crack at the World Cup in two years’ time certainly does.
