New manager Thomas Tuchel ‘has to’ win World Cup for England, says Alan Shearer
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Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has been named England's new manager on Oct 16.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Thomas Tuchel must win the 2026 World Cup to justify his appointment as England’s new manager, according to the Three Lions’ former captain Alan Shearer.
England have not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, but came close to ending that drought a couple of times under Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate.
Southgate resigned shortly after losing the Euro 2024 final to Spain in July and also led his country to the Euro 2020 final, 2022 World Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Tuchel, who was on Oct 16 named the third foreign manager of the English men’s side, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will inherit an abundance of talented players to work with, including Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
“The opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting,” said Tuchel, who will be assisted during his 18-month stint by English coach Anthony Barry, who worked alongside him at Bayern and Chelsea.
In reference to the target of winning England’s second World Cup, the 51-year-old said it is his job to “try to get a second star on our shirt”.
He added: “We have the ingredients. We can install patterns and behaviours from club football to push us over the line. We will need luck, we will need to avoid injuries. But most important is to prove ourselves... Then, special things can happen.”
The German has an impressive track record of winning major trophies from spells at Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern, with Football Association (FA) chief executive Mark Bullingham calling him “one of the best coaches in the world”.
Tuchel led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and won league titles at Bayern and PSG.
“We need a trophy – it’s as simple as that,” Shearer told The Rest Is Football podcast. “We need a manager who can deliver that.
“There’s no doubt (Tuchel) has an incredible CV, but this is going to be a very different test for him. It’s a bold move from the FA, there’s no doubt about it.
“You have to win the tournament, that’s what he’s been hired for. They (the FA) have seen the bunch of players are the best England have had for a long, long time.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker added: “Tuchel will have looked at this squad and thought there is so much talent in there, this is an unbelievable opportunity of winning the greatest trophy of all.”
Lee Carsley stepped up from his role in charge of England’s Under-21 side to take interim charge for the last four matches during the search for a permanent manager.
He will be also be leading England for Nations League games against Greece and Ireland in November as Tuchel will begin his stint only from Jan 1.
The German’s appointment was met with some criticism over the decision not to hire an English manager, with the Daily Mail labelling his arrival as a “dark day for England”.
A self-confessed Anglophile, the German recently said he felt “more appreciated” in England than his homeland.
On Oct 16, Tuchel joked he was “sorry” for holding a German passport, but hopes to prove his doubters wrong with results.
Bullingham said the FA had interviewed 10 candidates, including English ones, but that Tuchel was “the best person for the job”.
The last home-grown manager to win the English top flight was Howard Wilkinson as Leeds United boss in 1992, before the formation of the Premier League.
Graham Potter, who has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, and Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe, were among those linked to the role.
It was also reported earlier this week that the FA had sounded out Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola about his interest in the position. Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
“The point is we don’t have an English candidate strong enough to take that job,” said former England defender Micah Richards.
“I was of the opinion that we don’t need an English manager, just go out and get the best person for the job. I think Tuchel is an outstanding manager, a proven winner.”
England captain Kane was signed by Tuchel for Bayern in 2023 and scored 44 goals in 45 matches under his tutelage.
“Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person,” said Kane, when previously asked about the possibility of a reunion. AFP, REUTERS
