Despite the bitter defeat by France, England made a good impression at the World Cup. Coach Gareth Southgate doesn’t appear to be sure yet if he will continue with the Three Lions. Otherwise, Thomas Tuchel could become a candidate.
As far as the larger nations are concerned, England was certainly one of the positive surprises of this World Cup. Even if the team knows a lot of potential and quality in their ranks, they never really played consistently and convincingly with a good style of play. But she has been able to show that in the last two or three weeks.
The praise for Gareth Southgate, who has not had a really good standing with the fans in recent years, is correspondingly high. But this time, and despite the bitter defeat by France, the coach and his team were praised for their performances – and rightly so.
And yet it’s far from clear whether Southgate will continue. His contract actually creates a clear starting point: he should remain in office until after the 2024 European Championship. If the English association has its way, he will do the same. Trust in him has grown a good bit through the World Cup.
“I want to make the right decision. It takes some time,” explained the coach after the end. Apparently he wants to gain some distance from the tournament first in order to be able to decide with a clear head.
But the popularity for him is great. Both on the part of the association and from within the team. Harry Kane, for example, emphasized (via picture): “We played a great tournament and I think we have a bright future. We love having Gareth as a coach and want him to stay. It’s his decision.”
Despite this, staying is currently not a safe bet. There’s a real possibility that Southgate will give up.
In this case, a German coach seems to be a serious candidate. Thomas Tuchel, who was on the sidelines for Chelsea FC until last September, could then be targeted by the British FA.
According to the picture, the association even felt for him before the World Cup. It was about whether, in theory, he would be available should Southgate part ways. At the time, there were difficult setbacks for the Three Lions. Although confidence in Southgate has increased significantly again, Tuchel remains in focus due to his unclear future.
It is said that TT “wouldn’t have been averse” to the opportunity to lead England. It can therefore be assumed that he would have a fundamental interest in this job.
It is initially unclear whether this will still apply after the World Cup and primarily for the European Championship. In any case, it remains a very theoretical subject because Southgate is in charge of the action. If he wants to stay, he will be allowed to do so. Then a change of coach is no longer an issue.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as Falls Southgate throws down: Tuchel a candidate for England.
