Thomas Tuchel made the perfect start to life as England manager this week, securing two wins from two to kickstart the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Routine wins over Albania and Latvia appeared comfortable, albeit slightly uninspiring in an attacking sense, as the Three Lions squad continue to get to grips with Tuchel’s stylistic approach ahead of next year’s tournament in the States.
Reece James provided the biggest story of the international break, marking his emphatic return to fitness with his first international goal – a perfectly placed free kick – under the manager he rose to prominence under while at Chelsea.
“It was tough love, but that’s Thomas”: Tuchel’s former player lifts lid on life under new England manager
Tuchel’s first few months have likely gone exactly how he would have previously hoped, having won over a portion of initially sceptical fans with his spoken commitment to playing ‘exciting’ football in a recent interview.
The German-born manager, ranked at no.10 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world right now, explained that he saw an England side devoid of confidence at Euro 2024, focussed more on not losing than taking control of games and dealing with the opposition on their own terms.
However, it appears Tuchel’s smooth-talking may not extend to his players if they fail to adapt to his style of play, with former German international Andreas Beck – who played under Tuchel during his time in the Stuttgart academy – claiming the manager is no strange to ‘tough love’.
“He was very demanding and still is to this day,” Beck told RG.
“He pushed us. It was tough love, but that’s Thomas. I’m very grateful to have had him as my coach. You could see that [Tuchel] knew his football.”
Since his Stuttgart days, Tuchel has taken two different teams to Champions League finals, losing with Paris St Germain before winning with Chelsea in 2021.
His managerial style attacks man management from a different angle to that of Gareth Southgate, who gained plenty of praise for his careful crafting of relationships between himself and players, as well as a complete rebuild of the previously fractured relationship between the England squad and the British media.
This approach guided him to back-to-back European Championship finals, although came under fire each time his side failed to get across the line in a major tournament.
