The Daily Mail highlights the decision of the English Federation to have named Thomas Tuchel on the selection bench this Wednesday. “A dark day for England,” says the tabloid on the front page of its Sports section.
The English Federation (FA) formalized this Wednesday morning the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as England coach, replacing interim Lee Carsley. Information about his future appointment leaked Tuesday evening to all the English media and it did not receive unanimous support. THE Daily Mail even clearly demonstrated his hostility to the choice of a foreign technician to defend the colors of England.
“What an insult”
“A dark day for England”, displayed the newspaper on the front page of its Sports section of the day, this Wednesday. “It’s a dark day for England since the manager’s position goes to a GERMAN… and Thomas Tuchel has only 18 months to prove that he is up to the task,” laments the editorial. “Carsley was not the man for the job, but an English coach should have been the priority.”
The journalist defends his nationalist approach from the hook of the article. “International football should be the best of us against the best of theirs,” he believes, regretting Gareth Southgate, Carsley’s predecessor who announced his departure after the defeat in the Euro final against Spain ( 2-1).
The newspaper illustrates its opposition by relying on the past examples of the Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson and the Italian Fabio Capello, which were not conclusive enough, according to the journalist. The latter would have made an exception for Pep Guardiola but describes Thomas Tuchel as a “hitman” who will take a “big check” without “any connection with the supporters”. “What does this tell us about the English coaching system? What an insult, what ignorance and what unforgivability. Would Spain or France adopt this approach? (…) We are the laughing stock of world football.”
The other tabloids are vehement without being shy about using puns with German references. “The new Kaiser Chief”, presents the Daily Mirror, adding a bit of cliché with a photo of Tuchel holding a mug of beer. The Sun goes with a “Herr we go”, diverted from its first meaning (“Here we go”, or “let’s go”) by quoting the word “Herr” (sir). The rest of the sports press is rather excited by the appointment of the former Chelsea coach despite the historic rivalry between the two countries.
