But what about the pathway? What kind of message does it send out to all the promising English coaches out there? What does it say about the system when the Football Association needs to import a head coach from abroad? Why won’t you sing the national anthem? Is it hypocritical for you to wear a poppy when it was your lot who, you know?
Yes: if the industrial-strength outrage generated by his appointment is any indication, Thomas Tuchel’s press conference after winning the 2026 World Cup is certainly going to be wild. Because of course we must assume that this outrage is in fact a consistent and principled intellectual stance that will be maintained throughout regardless of any victorious campaign, rather than, say, a bile reflex confected and amplified largely for clicks and attention.
