Thomas Tuchel agreed a deal to become England manager last night, taking over from Gareth Southgate who left in the summer.
He becomes the third foreign manager to take over as England manager after Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. His appointment has has mixed reactions among ex-players and fans because of this.
Let's see what I think of his appointment.
My view on Tuchel being appointed England is mixed as there are both positives and negatives about his appointment.
He has been successful in his career as he's won trophies including the Champions League with Chelsea and league titles with Bayern Munich and PSG. He's also managed big name players at the clubs he has managed like Mbappe and Neymar at PSG and Aubameyang at Dortmund. These are the positives of his appointment.
But what style of play will England play under him and how will they set up? His teams haven't been known for playing front foot attacking football. He was a good tactician at Chelsea, but his side didn't necessarily play the brand of football that Man City and Liverpool were playing.
England were at times criticized for not being positive enough under Gareth Southgate and especially at the Euros. The fans wanted someone who will play a more front footed style of football, and I'm not sure if Tuchel is someone who will play that style.
But with England desperate to win something and Tuchel being a manager who has experience in winning trophies, this could turn out to be a good decision made by the FA. England need a manager who can get them over that final hurdle and with Tuchel having won trophies during his career, he could well be that man.
How will he set his team up?
3-4-2-1
Tuchel used this system when he was at Chelsea where he had Reece James and Marco Alonso as his wing backs providing the width, with Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech playing as the two no.10's behind the striker.
This system could suit someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold as playing as a wing-back will allow him to express himself going forward, and is a position that arguably suits him best.
3-1-4-2
This system was one that Tuchel used a lot during his time at Borussia Dortmund where he had Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus as his front two. Dortmund won the 2017 German Cup with this formation and Tuchel could maybe use it again with England.
It's been a while since England last played with a front two as they've mainly favoured playing with a lone striker up top. That could be because playing two strikers up top is a thing of the past.
This system will be very unfamiliar with the England players, but Tuchel could still use it and have Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins playing as a pair. Kane likes to drop deep in games whilst Watkins is someone who is quick and likes to run in behind defences. He offered that at the Euros in the games where he came off the bench and with Kane preferring to drop deep and receive the ball alongside Watkins offering that run in behind, this formation could be an option for Tuchel.
4-3-3
Tuchel used this system at PSG where had one of the best attacks in Europe in Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani.
This system is the one that I think suits England best because they've been a better team to watch when using this formation in the past. They used this formation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they played more on the front foot and were given the freedom to express themselves. They were arguably a better team to watch at that tournament than they were at the other four.
This formation will allow Foden and Bellingham to play as two no.8's which in my opinion should've been the case at the Euros. With Declan Rice sitting deep and protecting the back four, Foden and Bellingham will be given the freedom to express themselves higher up the pitch and help out the front three, which will more likely be Saka on the right, Gordon on the left and Kane through the middle.
4-2-3-1
Tuchel used this system at Bayern Munich and he could use it again as England have used this formation a lot over the past year.
This system might not be as expansive as the 4-3-3 formation, but it is one that suits England as they have a number of players who can play in the no.10 position, including Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and James Maddison.
Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo played as a pair for most of England's games at the Euros and could well be the midfield partnership over the next number of the years. Especially as they're both relatively young.
I personally don't want England to use this formation as I think it's quite defensive. But as England are familiar with it, Tuchel may think that this one might be his best option.
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