How do we feel about this?

 

Pretty damn stoked, I would have to say. Tuchel is a very shrewd manager, who's had an astonishing record of success with four of Europe's top clubs, across three major leagues. And he's maintained a win record up around 60% - or better - at every club he's managed (except Mainz, who are a decidedly mid-table Bundesliga side). And he took a Chelsea team in disarray on his arrival - to an immediate Champions League Final victory over Pep Guardiola's City. There are not too many managers out there with a more impressive CV. Frankly, I didn't think we had any chance of landing such an excellent candidate.

I can see some people might have let themselves get emotionally invested in other possibilities. Klopp would have been fun - but has categorically stated he's not interested (for now). Thomas Frank is a very nice chap, but not (yet) a proven winner. Eddie Howe looks like an option for a few years down the line - when he's actually won something.

But some fans, it seems, and some folks in pundit-land, have been getting upset about the fact he's not English....?  Good grief! We've had over 20 years to get over the 'shock' of the late Sven Eriksson's breakthrough appointment; and we've had Fabio Capello since then too (admittedly not a very popular or successful appointment - but you can't blame that on his nationality). The only - non-xenophobic - argument I can see for such reservations would be that it is useful, perhaps essential, for the naional team manager to have some prior knowledge of the player pool available, ideally through a direct experience of the Premier League. But there's been a lot of movement of players - and managers - between the Premier League and the Bundesliga in recent years, so I think most German coaches are probably pretty aware of the English game, even if they haven't actually managed here. And Tuchel, of course, has - even though it was only for part of a season.

Is he a good manager? YES. Is he tactically astute, adaptable, known for shrewdness in getting the best out of disparate collections of players? YES, YES, YES!  Does he know how to win games? DEFINIITELY!

The fact of his being German does not bother me in the slightest. I just want our national team to have a really, really good manager - someone who'll give this insanely talented group of young players a good chance of some tournament success. We've got that.

Of course, it might not work out. We might suffer from an embarrassment of riches - having just too many excellent players to choose from, and never being able to find an optimal balance. And we might just not get the breaks; having the best coach and the best squad is, unfortunately, not enough. There are always 3, or 4, or 5 teams that are in with a chance of winning a major tournament; and it's rarely the best of them that actually does. But, with Tuchel's appointment, we are at least giving ourselves a very good chance.