{"id":11908,"date":"2026-06-03T18:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11908"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:03:10","slug":"after-60-years-of-hurt-england-turns-to-a-german-coach-to-end-world-cup-title-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11908","title":{"rendered":"After 60 years of hurt England turns to a German coach to end World Cup title drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JAMES ROBSON<\/strong><\/p>\n

MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 In a bid to end its decades-long wait to win a second World Cup, England has put its fate in the hands of a German.<\/p>

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It\u2019s fair to say the appointment of Thomas Tuchel was not universally well received.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I have a German passport,\u201d the serial-winning former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach quipped at his official unveiling in 2024.<\/p>\n

He had woken that morning to some unflattering headlines in the British media.<\/p>\n

The Daily Mail described it as a \u201cdark day for England\u201d and said the national team had gambled on a \u201cGERMAN.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leader of the right-wing Reform Party Nigel Farage asked on X: \u201cWhy can\u2019t we have an English manager?\u201d<\/p>\n

Never mind that Tuchel was a Champions League winner who had lifted trophies in three different countries. Or the fact that England has gone down the foreign route before: a Swedish coach in Sven-Goran Eriksson and an Italian in Fabio Capello. And in the days before Tuchel\u2019s appointment, there were rumors that Pep Guardiola was also a leading candidate.<\/p>

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Historic rivals<\/h4>\n

A point of contention was the fact that Germany has long-been England\u2019s biggest soccer rival. Since winning the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany, England has often struggled against the Germans in major tournaments. Some England fans have brought 20th-century history to the rivalry with provocative chants taunting Germany about World War II.<\/p>\n

Debate about Tuchel\u2019s nationality, however, dissipated quickly, helped by his easy-going charm when dealing with the media and a perfect winning record during England\u2019s World Cup qualifying campaign.<\/p>\n

According to professor Jan R\u00fcger, author of the upcoming book \u201cGreat Powers: A History of Britain and Germany,\u201d the wider reaction to Tuchel\u2019s appointment points to a change in Anglo-German relations after the tensions that prevailed in the decades following two world wars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were questions, but it certainly hasn\u2019t turned into an ongoing saga in the way in which it would have in the 1990s or even around the turn of the century,\u201d R\u00fcger told The Associated Press. \u201cThen it would have been unthinkable to have a German manager.<\/p>

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\u201cGermany really isn\u2019t the bad guy anymore. That\u2019s long since passed. I don\u2019t think it works portraying Germany as the bogeyman.\u201d<\/p>\n

England coaches face fierce criticism<\/h4>\n

Time will tell if Tuchel is portrayed as a hero or villain at the World Cup. If England fails, his nationality might be raised again. But England managers of the past have been the subject of brutal criticism by fans and media, regardless of what it says on their passport.<\/p>\n

Tuchel\u2019s predecessor Gareth Southgate was widely credited with making England fans fall back in love with the national team during his eight-year spell, yet he faced a torrent of abuse from sections of supporters during the 2024 European Championship, with plastic beer glasses thrown in his direction after one match.<\/p>\n

Southgate departed after leading England to back-to-back Euros finals and the World Cup semifinals in 2018.<\/p>\n

He goes down as the nation\u2019s second most successful manager after Alf Ramsey, who led England to World Cup victory in 1966.<\/p>

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If Tuchel can end England\u2019s trophy wait, he would become a national treasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone in the squad, the staff, everyone believes we can win it,\u201d midfielder Kobbie Mainoo said.<\/p>\n