Tuchel takes charge of England: What to expect and what to bet on

Will the German succeed in England?

German manager Thomas Tuchel has been officially appointed as the new head coach of the England national football team, taking his role in January 2025. We’ll dive into early reactions, team prospects, and highlight the most intriguing betting opportunities.

The reasoning behind bringing in the star coach is no secret: England wants trophies. The primary target is the upcoming World Cup in Mexico, the US, and Canada. Tuchel has already promised to bring England its second World Cup star on their jersey.

England to Win World Cup 2026

Winning the 2026 World Cup can be an exciting result. The point is that the only European side to win the title playing outside Europe was only Germany in 2014 in Brazil so far.

Why is Tuchel a great choice?

England has been without trophies for half a century. They've tried managers of all profiles and calibers and even developed multiple "golden generations," none of which were handled successfully. For Tuchel, managing high expectations and delivering results is nothing new. Throughout his career, with every team except Mainz, he has secured at least one trophy. 

Tuchel’s Achievements

Tuchel is known for delivering success in a short amount of time. This is important, considering he has only 1.5 years to establish the team's play. He won his first trophy with Chelsea just four months after being appointed and with Bayern Munich in only two months. When he took charge of Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel led the team to win the DFB-Pokal in his first season, despite key players like İlkay Gündoğan, Mats Hummels, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan leaving the club that summer. 

However, in England, the challenge isn’t about lacking stars, but managing their egos. Tuchel's experience at PSG, where he managed to work with the temperamental Neymar, speaks in his favor.

Lastly, the German coach has a knack for playing dynamic, attacking football, something British fans have longed for during Gareth Southgate's era. Here's a comparative statistical table of Tuchel’s Champions League performances with Chelsea versus Southgate's England at the last Euros.

Southgate vs Tuchel

And this isn’t even the most attacking side Tuchel has ever coached. However, it’s the one that most resembles England. Packed with stars but not always the clear favorite. For the English team, Tuchel is a perfect fit, especially given his history of pulling off surprise victories—like the 4/1 underdog triumph over Guardiola's City in the Champions League final. Maybe that’s why the odds for England winning at least one of the next two major tournaments seem almost overly optimistic.

England to Win WC 2026 with Tuchel as a Manager

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Bet

13/2

Could Tuchel be sacked early?

Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup should be a manageable task for the Three Lions. A failure to qualify would be the only real reason the FA might consider dismissing Tuchel early. Currently, analysts estimate the likelihood of this scenario at 9.1%. The last time England missed a World Cup was 30 years ago, in 1994—coincidentally, also in the US. However, it's unlikely anyone in this squad, except perhaps Harry Kane, believes in such bad omens.

However, the position of head coach for the England national team is often a precarious one. While foreign coaches are typically given more time—even amid controversies, like Fabio Capello's situation with John Terry's captaincy—British coaches face a tougher environment. Excluding Gareth Southgate and Roy Hodgson, the average tenure of a coach (both temporary and permanent) in the 21st century can be shocking—less than six months.

Conclusion

Let the most ardent patriots protest against the appointment of a coach from a country that many call a "historic rival." Thomas Tuchel is one of the few capable of taking on the most ambitious goals: he knows how to win trophies and is well acquainted with English football. He also knows how to connect with the top stars. The all-time leading scorer for the national team, Harry Kane, who scored 44 goals in 45 matches under the German's management at Bayern, has openly welcomed his appointment.

“Looking forward to playing under the boss again!” Harry wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

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