Five months after his appointment was confirmed, Thomas Tuchel has taken to the Wembley dugout for the first time as England manager.
The former Chelsea boss has got to work on his first objective, which is ensuring that England qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Then, his objective will be to win it and end the Three Lions’ 60-year wait for a major trophy, a drought that Gareth Southgate came oh-so-close to doing.
Tuchel’s predecessor in the job reached two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final during his eight-year spell in charge, but with Tuchel – who ranked at no.10 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world last year – having signed on for just 18 months, the German’s tenure is unlikely to last so long.
Joe Cole’s verdict on Thomas Tuchel’s 18-month deal with England
There has been plenty of debate over this contract length, with one side arguing that the FA has been pragmatic in handing Tuchel a short-term deal with a very clear target, while others would have preferred to have seen a longer-term strategy in place.
Former England midfielder Joe Cole played under three different managers for the Three Lions on his way to earning 56 caps, and he has also reflected on this dilemma.
“A longer contract would have been preferable,” Cole concedes to FourFourTwo, speaking in association with TNT Sports.
“Gareth’s patient approach paved the way for lads to develop in a comfortable environment, where they knew mistakes would be tolerated and second chances would be given if necessary.
“But on the other hand, you could also see it as a good thing. England fans are just craving some success.
“If Tuchel can just come in and finish the brilliant job Gareth started, nobody will care if he leaves.”
After the current Wembley double header against Albania and Latvia, England face an end-of-season trip to Andorra in their final qualifier of the 2024/25 campaign, before closing the season with a friendly against Senegal at the City Ground.
The Three Lions will then face their return qualifier against Andorra in the autumn before visiting Serbia, their other team in Group K, where the winners will book a place in next summer’s tournament and the runners-up will enter the play-off round.
