Thomas Tuchel and the eternal coaching cycle in professional football

Things continue to only go up for Thomas Tuchel. His coaching star once shone in Mainz, he earned a reputation as a tactics nerd and was soon called in himself – he finally gave in to Borussia Dortmund’s wooing.

Dortmund was followed by Paris St. Germain, then Chelsea FC, with whom he celebrated his greatest success – victory in the Champions League. At some point, Bayern couldn’t resist anymore. Big name, big clubs – that had to fit in Munich too.

As we know today, it didn’t fit. But it was still clear to Thomas Tuchel that he would fall soft even after this less than pleasant episode. And now the 51-year-old is the first German to become the coach of the English national football team. There are probably people who see this job as even more prestigious than the position of head coach at a top European club.

“Our aim was to hire a coaching team that would give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament,” said Mark Bullingham, the head of the English FA. And Tuchel promised that he would do everything “to make England successful and the fans proud.” He has “been personally connected to football on the island for a long time.”

Tuchel and England – that could fit. One thing is always worth noting when looking for a trainer: once you’ve made it to the top, the next big task is always just a job change away.

Tuchel has never worked for a professional club until the end of his contract term in his career. He once served out his contract in Mainz and took a sabbatical. In Dortmund and Paris the separation only took place officially by mutual agreement. And he was officially released from Chelsea. This was followed by an attempt with Bayern, here too the collaboration was originally planned for a longer period of time.

What is striking is that almost all of Bayern’s recent coaches are still in prominent positions. Julian Nagelsmann has taken over the German national team, Hansi Flick is head coach at FC Barcelona, ​​Pep Guardiola has finally led Manchester City to their longed-for Champions League title. And Carlo Ancelotti, who didn’t get along at all in Munich, is still considered the ideal choice at Real Madrid.

Of course there are exceptions, Niko Kovac is currently unemployed. But the Croatian could afford to turn down a lucrative offer from Dubai. With his CV he is still too attractive for top clubs in Europe.

As a former Bayern coach you almost always fall soft

For Vincent Kompany, this means the other way around: Even though he has taken on his first major coaching job in Munich, it should open the door for him to other top clubs in the near or perhaps more distant future – depending on how long FC Bayern is happy with him.

And the fact that a lot of time can pass before a star burns out again is demonstrated, among other things, by the name José Mourinho. His great successes were a while ago; he recently made headlines mainly for his eccentric behavior on the sidelines. The Portuguese has been training Fenerbahce Istanbul since this season and is now 61 years old.

Thomas Tuchel is not yet on the decline. And winning a major title with England should be motivation enough. He takes over a team that has recently reached the final of two European Championships.

He is familiar with the English mentality, but there are of course still critical voices about his commitment given the rivalry with Germany: “We don’t need Thomas Tuchel, but a patriot for whom the country comes first, second and third,” he said it in the Daily Mail. And the BBC points out that there will be people in England who will see Tuchel’s appointment as a “betrayal” and “insult”.

Ultimately, however, what may be more important for Tuchel is the extent to which his future players follow suit. Captain Harry Kane has already promised support: “I obviously know Thomas very well over the last year. “He’s a fantastic coach and a fantastic person,” he said on Sky.

It was not initially announced how long he would remain national coach. It is quite likely that Thomas Tuchel will then be able to choose where he wants to work as a coach. Once you’re at the top in football, you usually stay there for a long time.