Thomas Tuchel: How new England manager has gone from barman to Three Lions

BBC News

19-03-2025

A new era in English football starts on Friday.German Thomas Tuchel will become the third non-British permanent manager to lead the England side after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.Under Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and lost in the 2021 and 2024 Euros finals.For the 51-year-old Tuchel, who has an 18-month contract, his job brief is clear, but hugely difficult – to qualify for and then win the 2026 World Cup.He will be looking to make a lightning start as England have two home qualifiers first up – Albania at Wembley before entertaining Latvia on Monday.But what can they expect from Tuchel, who guided Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, and who has also managed Borussia Dortmund, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich?BBC Sport has spoken to those who know Tuchel well to find out more.
Pulling pints and collecting glasses
Tuchel, who stands at 6ft 4in, was a defender during his playing days.He began at second-tier German side Stuttgarter Kickers, before three years at third division team SSV Ulm until a serious knee injury ended his playing career in 1998, when he was 25.His boss at Ulm was Ralf Rangnick, who went on to manage Schalke, RB Leipzig, Manchester United and is now Austria's head coach."He was always interested in why we were doing certain things," said Rangnick. "After a couple of weeks, you can tell what player could become a coach - he was always asking questions."In 2000, a successful coaching career seemed a long way off for Tuchel, who was pulling pints and collecting glasses."When I became head coach of Stuttgart, I found out he was working in a bar to earn a living, I could hardly believe it," added Rangnick."I called him and said, 'Why don't you come to us and work as a youth team coach?' That's how his coaching career started."It was clear he shouldn't be working in a bar and would much rather be on a pitch with a team."
'A very bright, intelligent person'
Tuchel worked with Stuttgart Under-15s and a few years later would guide their under-19s to their league title.His first managerial role came in 2007 at FC Augsburg II and two years later he was in charge of Bundesliga outfit Mainz, who had Jurgen Klopp among their former bosses.Rangnick was not surprised Tuchel would manage at the top level and added: "Thomas is a very bright, intelligent person. He studied sports in Stuttgart. It was obvious he had quite a few assets of what you need as a manager."Tuchel would also learn from, and emulate, those around him.In five years at Mainz, he qualified for Europe twice, guiding them to fifth in 2010-11, their best ever Bundesliga position."Tuchel is someone who has been influenced by a lot of managers and coaches – it's clear he has a constant desire to learn, to be open-minded and curious," said former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger."Ralf Rangnick is one of the coaches who has influenced him - what are you doing when you don't have the ball, how do you win it back, then how do you create chances and score goals?"Tuchel took elements of that, but another element is focused on what you do with the ball too."With that aspect, Tuchel is very close to Pep Guardiola in terms of the way he thinks about football and how to create chances from your own possession."Pep was more of a coach he looked up to, in the time they spent together in the Bundesliga [when Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich] there was a bond, a relationship forged. They are still friends and they talk regularly."
Winning over the doubters
In 2015, Tuchel began his next challenge, replacing Liverpool-bound Klopp as boss of Borussia Dortmund.During Klopp's seven years at Dortmund, he had won the Bundesliga twice and reached the Champions League final, and Tuchel had to win over his new players, with not all of them keen."I honestly didn't expect much when it was announced he was going to be the new manager. I was even in talks maybe to leave the club," recalled former Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan."I had one phone call with him and he presented himself to me when I was on holiday in the summer break, and it was actually a really good call."He tried to explain a few things, how he wanted us to play, how he wanted us to train and everything he said he proved during that season."Gundogan joined Manchester City after Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga at the end of that 2015-16 campaign, while Tuchel claimed the first major trophy of his career, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the final of the German Cup in May 2017, in what proved to be his last match at the club.Former Germany international Gundogan, though, was completely won over by Tuchel in their sole season together."I can only say positive things about him from when we were at Dortmund," he added. "He's outstanding tactically and extremely honest and open. Personally, I got along very well with him."Hitzlsperger felt Tuchel's man-management skills would be key to success with England and added: "The players Tuchel has worked with in the past are very positive about him, and the way he communicates his ideas to them."I don't think the fact he is German will make any difference. Most of the England players work under foreign managers, or have done. He's a top manager so they will be open to his ideas and used to most of them, so it should be a smooth transition."Rangnick added: "He's somebody who loves to improve people. As a head coach, you need to be analytic and intelligent. He is curious, funny with a good sense of humour. A very specific humour and, if you know the humour, he can be funny."
Successful but confrontational
Apart from his almost five-year spell at Mainz, all of Tuchel's jobs have followed a similar pattern – successful, but not in the same role for long.After Dortmund, he won Ligue 1 twice and took Paris St-Germain to the Champions League final in a two-and-a-half-year spell.Chelsea came next, getting the job in January 2021 and winning the Champions League just four months later, beating Guardiola and Gundogan's Manchester City side 1-0 in the final.However, despite also winning the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup, he was sacked in September 2022.Before England, Bayern Munich was his last managerial job in March 2023, and he instantly won the Bundesliga title within a few months, but was gone at the end of the next campaign - a season that ended without any silverware despite the goals of England captain Harry Kane.
"Thomas is not an easy person, or easy to deal with, but all good coaches are complicated," said Christian Heidel, Mainz's long-time executive and sporting director, in 2021."Complicated means they are also tough. They make demands of those around them, their players from morning to night and for that reason, they are incredible coaches."Former Augsburg youth coach Heiner Schuhmann described Tuchel as "an outstanding, passionate player on the pitch, who gave his all", but felt "he was so exacting and demanding, which didn't go down well with some of the players".Hitzlsperger also felt Tuchel could "rub people up the wrong way" in his dealings with club officials and would have to try to avoid that happening with the English Football Association."It's important Tuchel maintains a good relationship with the FA, the people who have brought him in, and he has to handle the media and public," said the former Aston Villa and Stuttgart midfielder."The same thing must not happen that happened in Bayern and Dortmund, where he fell out with his bosses. I am optimistic there won't be too many disagreements, because at his previous clubs it was often about transfers, which as a national team manager is not an issue."With the media and the fans, it's different. The advantage he has is he has worked in this country before with Chelsea, so knows what English fans are like."
'Putting one over Germany would be very sweet for him'
Tuchel started the England job on 1 January and has been regularly spotted at Premier League matches.He has already shown he will do the job his way, handing a surprise recall to 34-year-old Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, as well as first international call-ups for 32-year-old Newcastle defender Dan Burn and 18-year-old Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly.Former England captain Alan Shearer felt Tuchel would want to get the best out of the team immediately and said: "We've been down the route so many times of an English manager having this hope, this belief in three or four years' time we might be this."This manager has been brought in for now, for the next 18 months, to win the World Cup. That's his job. If he doesn't win the World Cup he won't be here."
Hitzlsperger felt Tuchel could succeed and his nationality would soon be ignored if England were winning matches."His experience in club management will help him with England," he added. "He had to deal with some of the biggest names in world football at PSG for example, and was expected to win everything in France and in European competition."Hopefully the players want to play for their country because they think this is fun, they play good football and enjoy the way they play."He will get people excited and out of their seats, thinking 'this is great football, this is what we wanted to see'."The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico and Tuchel will be aiming to become only the second manager to guide England to World Cup glory after Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966."I would never say, 'he is going to win the World Cup', but he has got one of the best squads in the world, along with Spain, France, Argentina, and Brazil," said Hitzlsperger."Tuchel is probably hoping to play Germany at some stage. Can you imagine? Putting one over Germany in a World Cup – that would be very sweet for him and it probably wouldn't get any bigger."If he were to put one over them it would be one of the biggest achievements, just after winning the World Cup, and beating Germany on the way would be fantastic for him."