Thomas Tuchel must win something to justify England role, says Harry Redknapp
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Thomas Tuchel became England's third foreign head coach and makes his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Albania on March 21.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Thomas Tuchel was a surprise choice as England manager and will have to win the 2026 World Cup to justify the Football Association’s decision to appoint him, according to Harry Redknapp.
The German became England's third foreign head coach when he was named as Gareth Southgate's successor in 2024, and makes his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley on March 21.
Former West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur manager Redknapp said Tuchel, who has an 18-month contract, was not his obvious choice but that he has inherited a squad which is the envy of the world.
“It’s all a strange situation really. I heard (former Arsenal goalkeeper) Jens Lehmann this morning saying could you imagine Germany having an English manager? It’s impossible,” he said.
“It wasn’t a manager that jumped out at me when I heard it. I thought, oh my God. When we got (Italian Fabio) Capello, you’ve got Capello, he’s a serial winner, the Champions League, Milan, wherever he managed. He was iconic.
“Tuchel’s been here, done okay.”
England were also managed by the late Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The 51-year-old Tuchel won two league titles with Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League with Chelsea and the Bundesliga at Bayern Munich but this is his first international role.
England’s World Cup qualifying campaign begins against Albania before they host another lowly team in Latvia on March 24 and Redknapp added that the German will learn little from those fixtures.
“Listen, it’s hard to judge at the moment. He’s picked a squad to play two useless teams. I’ll be watching Coronation Street (TV soap opera) when that’s on. I just can’t be bothered to watch that,” the 78-year-old said.
“What do we gain from seeing us beat Latvia 5-0 or 6-0? What do we learn about any of the players? It’s difficult, until we get into a competition.”
England also face Andorra and Serbia in Group K.
“He’s got to win something, basically, to be a success. (Tuchel’s predecessor) Gareth (Southgate) took us so far. He’s got an opportunity, he’s got a great squad, great group of players,” insisted Redknapp.
“You probably wouldn’t swap them for anybody. So, it’s all there for him to go and win a trophy.”
Southgate steered England to two European Championship finals and the World Cup semi-finals but failed to deliver any silverware.
At the end of the day, Redknapp, who was always overlooked for the England job, said that he would prefer an English coach for the post, but added only Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe stood out as a candidate.
Howe led the Magpies to their League Cup win over Liverpool last weekend – the club’s first major domestic trophy since they won the FA Cup in 1955.
“I’m all for an English manager, me. I would like to see that. If you can’t find an English manager, there’s something gone wrong somewhere,” said Redknapp. REUTERS
