Jamie Carragher has claimed Thomas Tuchel leading England ‘doesn’t feel right’ because he believes major footballing nations should have a native manager.
The former Liverpool star, who earned 38 caps for the Three Lions, thinks the challenge of winning trophies with homegrown talent is what makes international football special.
Tuchel’s appointment as England manager on an 18-month deal was revealed on Tuesday and hiring a German has proved a divisive move from the Football Association.
While Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan finds the arrival of an elite winner ‘refreshing’, others, such as Jeff Powell, insist every figure involved in the national set-up should be English – right down to the kit cleaner.
Carragher told Sky Sports: ‘My feeling is, the whole point of international football, certainly with major nations who compete for the tournaments, is that it’s your best versus their best.
Thomas Tuchel being England manager ‘doesn’t feel right,’ according to Jamie Carragher
The German managed was unveiled at Wembley on Wednesday on an 18-month contract
Some have welcomed the arrival of an elite coach while others believe it undermines English football’s coaching pathway
Carragher believes that all major footballing nations should employ native coaches
‘Club football is different and we love it, different nationalities, different coaches in the Premier League or at Champions League level. It’s a real mix.
‘But the thing that makes international football different from the club game is that it’s people from your country.
‘I know that’s skewed a little bit with players, maybe they weren’t born in the country or it goes back to maybe their grandparents.
‘And I also understand, certain nations having a foreign coach who’s going to have an influence them will drag the whole footballing structure up with them and pass on experience and expertise to all the coaches throughout the system and the country.
‘But when I think of England now, and we’re so close to winning a major tournament, there’s so much good work that has gone into producing these players at St George’s Park, it just doesn’t feel right to me that we have a foreign coach.
‘Again, it’s not just about England. I don’t think Italy should, I don’t think Germany should, I don’t think France should. Portugal have it at the moment in Roberto Martinez which I find strange.
‘That’s my take on it. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. England have got a brilliant manager, but I think England should have an English manager.’
Tuchel, who becomes the third non-British manager of England’s men’s team and the first since Fabio Capello left in 2012, was officially unveiled on Wednesday.
Gareth Southgate was praised for his dedication to his country during his eight-year tenure
There were concerns over Lee Carsley, meanwhile, due to his links with Ireland and refusal to sing the national anthem
Gary Neville expressed fears that the appointment undermines the FA’s coaching pathway
Earning £6million per year, he will be assisted by former Chelsea coach Anthony Barry and will start work officially in January. Current interim boss Lee Carsley will lead the team through November fixtures against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
The FA interviewed 10 candidates for the role, including some English talent, but the 51-year-old’s record of winning trophies was alluring.
‘I’m sorry, I just have a German passport… but all of these supporters can feel my passion for the English Premier League, how I love to work here, how I love to live here,’ Tuchel told the media at Wembley, addressing the backlash from some fans.
‘Hopefully I can convince them I am proud to be an England manager.
‘I have good experience with 18 months, I am working on my long-term game, the point was in this particular case it was important to have a frame, it is a step into the unknown for me,’ Tuchel admitted.
‘The last piece of it for me to understand it is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18 months. To demand from myself to not lose the focus.
‘It is a good timeframe because it will help us not lose focus, it is very streamlined and easy to explain. We are here to work on the best possible outcome for the World Cup.’
Rio Ferdinand claimed on Tuesday that the players would be ‘happy’ to see an elite coach come in and backed Tuchel, who managed Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, to win a major trophy with England.
Rio Ferdinand believes England’s players will be ‘happy’ with Thomas Tuchel as their manager
Tuchel has had a mixed time of things in Germany throughout his career, most recently failing to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said Tuchel ‘stood out’ from others ‘with his vast expertise and drive’
The likes of Eddie Howe were linked with the job, but Tuchel becomes the third foreign boss of the men’s team
Tuchel has also won league titles at PSG and Bayern Munich but is seen as a combustible character with a history of high-profile fall-outs, meaning he rarely stays long in a job.
Gary Neville fears that his appointment sends the wrong message to English coaches coming up through the FA pathway, with other options such as Eddie Howe and Graham Potter, as well as interim boss Lee Carsley, ultimately snubbed.
‘I’m not sure it fits the criteria of St. George’s Park and the belief in English coaches and the growth in the English teams’ performance in the last seven or eight years. No just the first [men’s] team, but the women’s team and youth teams,’ he said.
‘St. George’s Park was going to be a hotbed of proving that English coaches could get back to the top in Europe. It is proving to be very difficult, it is difficult for English coaches to get top jobs in the Premier League, that’s a given because we’ve got some of the best clubs in the world, but it’s now gone to an international manager.
‘It’s not really about Thomas Tuchel, but there is an element of disappointment in my head thinking about the fact that the FA have gone to an international coach.’
There is no doubt foreign coaches can foster a strong connection with fans. Sarina Wiegman has been hugely popular leading England’s women’s team since 2021, winning the 2022 Euros and reaching the 2023 World Cup final.
But Tuchel’s hiring has been questioned to within an inch of its life – not least by German newspaper Bild, who have mocked England’s ‘desperation’, adding: ‘The motherland of football is getting a German dad. Crazy!
The German spent time as Borussia Dortmund manager earlier on in his career before he moved to England
During his time with Chelsea, he won the Champions League before taking over at Bayern Munich
‘Since 1966 – since 1966!!!! – the proud football nation has been waiting for a title (and sorry, even the World Cup victory was only possible because the referee made a mistake on the Wembley goal). So it will soon be 60 years without a title. In that time we have become world champions three times and European champions three times. Oops,’ the paper’s head of sport, Matthias Brugelmann, wrote.
‘The desperation on the island must be enormous if they admit that only a German can help now. What a tribute to Tuchel and German football that the English are overcoming their fears despite the huge rivalry.’