Thomas Tuchel appears to have made a significant impression on the bosses of the FA (Football Association) on his way to becoming the coach of the English national team.
According to The Guardian, citing an excerpt from the book Inside England by Rob Draper and Jonathan Northcroft, Tuchel so convinced the decision-makers at a secret meeting in Munich in 2024 that they subsequently appointed him as the coach of the Three Lions.
«I think it’s safe to say Thomas blew us away,» FA chief executive Mark Bullingham was quoted as saying. «He had a PowerPoint presentation on how to put a second star on the shirt. The plan was so well thought out, right down to the individual days of the next 18 months at St. George’s Park.»
The German impressed not only with his content but also with «the passion and eloquence with which he presented it. It was brilliant.» The meeting was reportedly held in a specially rented room at Munich Airport, with all parties arriving on different flights to avoid attracting attention. Ultimately, Tuchel beat out a host of other candidates and got the job.
Bullingham revealed that they had conducted extremely detailed data analysis to find the right coach. «There are some amazing things you can do with data, such as seeing which coaches are good at developing players, which are good in knockout tournaments, and so on,» said the FA boss.
Tuchel Recently Criticized for England’s Performance
Technical director John McDermott also raved about Tuchel: «He offers warmth and vividness. He loved football, he loved English football. He asked me a million questions.»
Tuchel took over the Three Lions on January 1, 2025, after Gareth Southgate stepped down following the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
In twelve games so far, the former coach of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich boasts nine wins, one draw, and two losses. After initially very strong results and a flawless World Cup qualification, Tuchel has faced more criticism in recent months. This was due to the last two friendly matches — a 0-1 loss against Japan and a 1-1 draw against Uruguay. Some of the German’s personnel decisions also did not go down well.
At the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, England will face Croatia, Panama, and Ghana in Group L.