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Who is Thomas Tuchel? Meet England’s new manager dubbed a ‘floor raiser’ for his ‘elite’ tactics – including stats, trophies and his record at Chelsea and Bayern Munich

byFootball Insomnia

October 16, 2024

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Who is Thomas Tuchel? Meet England’s new manager dubbed a ‘floor raiser’ for his ‘elite’ tactics – including stats, trophies and his record at Chelsea and Bayern Munich

Thomas Tuchel has been officially confirmed as the new England head coach.

The appointment of the German tactical genius has been met with mixed emotions from England football fans as he becomes only the third foreign boss to take charge of The Three Lions.

Tuchel will follow only Sven Goran-Eriksson and Fabio Capello as foreign managers to take the coveted job when he begins his £6m-a-year role in the New Year.

Despite some backlash from England football fans over the appointment of a German manager, his CV can’t be faulted.

Having managed Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich with success, the 51-year-old may be the one to take The Three Lions past further than they have ever gone before.

Here is everything you need to know about Southgate’s successor Thomas Tuchel including stats, trophies and his relationship with English football and its players.

Thomas Tuchel has been officially unveiled as the new England head coach

The German manager will take charge of the Three Lions beginning on January, 1, 2025

Who is Thomas Tuchel?

Tuchel is a former German football manager and former player. He was born on August, 29, 1973 in a small German town named Krumbach.

He is widely regarded as a tactical expert in the modern game and is considered to be one of the best current coaches in the game.

He is the first German to take charge of the England men’s national side and only the third non-British manager.

His preferred formation for his sides is a 4-2-3-1.

He is widely regarded as a tactical expert in the modern game

Playing career

Tuchel began his football journey under the guidance of his father at his local club TSV Krumbach.

After impressing as a defender, he moved to Augsburg’s youth academy aged 15, where he remained until he was released at 19-year-olds and joined Stuttgarter Kickers in German’s second tier.

Despite his knowledge of the game, he failed to break into the first-team squad and his appearances for the side were limited.

After two seasons and only eight league appearances, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier side SSV Ulm, where he became a key part of the side.

His playing days came to an end in 1998 due to a knee injury, Tuchel was only 25-years-old when he retired.

As a footballer, Tuchel enjoyed spells with German sides Stuggart Kickers and SSV Ulm before a knee injury forced him into an early retirement aged 25

Coaching career

Tuchel’s coaching journey began in 2000, when he was appointed by Ralf Rangnick to take charge of VfB Stuggart’s U19 side, which included future German internationals Mario Gomez and Holgar Badstuder.

He led his side to the U19 Bundesliga title in 2004, before he returned to his former club, FC Augsburg to take up a role within the youth system before taken charge of the second team.

Tuchel’s breakout job came via Mainz 05 when he took over from compatriot Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2009.

During his five-year reign, Tuchel was applauded for stabilising the club’s position in the Bundesliga and for his tactical genius which consisted of high energy, attacking play.

Tuchel began to gain recognition as one of the best coaches in the modern game during his time with German giants Borussia Dortmund, where he lifted the DfB Pokal trophy during the 2016-17 season.

From there his status as one of the best coaches in the world only grew, moving on from the German giants to enjoy successful spells with European powerhouses PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Tuchel’s first senior coaching role was with German outfit Mainz 05

Tuchel’s recognition as one of the best coaches in the modern game began during his time with German giants Borussia Dortmund

Tuchel led Chelsea to lifting the Champions League trophy in 2021

The 51-year-old also lifted the Bundesliga trophy with Bayern Munich for the 2022-23 season

Teams coached:

FC Augsburg II
Mainz 05
Borussia Dortmund
PSG
Chelsea
Bayern Munich

Record

Thomas Tuchel’s record with previous teams
Years	Team	Days in charge	Matches	W	D	L
2007-08	FC Augsburg II	546 days
2009-14	Mainz 05	1791 days	183	72	45	66
2015-17	Borussia Dortmund	730 days	107	69	20	18
2018-20	PSG	912 days	127	96	11	20
2021-22	Chelsea	589 days	100	63	19	18
2023-24	Bayern Munich	464 days	61	37	8	16

Tuchel managed 63 Premier League games as Chelsea manager and enjoyed a 56 per cent win ratio.

Relationship with England and English players

Despite being a foreign manager Tuchel is very familiar with England football and its players largely thanks to his time spent in West London as Chelsea boss.

During that time, Tuchel managed 63 Premier League games and enjoyed a 56 per cent win ratio.

He also successfully led the Blues to European glory, lifting the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2021.

Throughout his managerial career he has also managed 16 England players, most recently Three Lions captain Harry Kane during his time as Bayern Munich coach.