Tuchel has to win World Cup for England, says Shearer

Alan Shearer, the former captain of the Three Lions, believes that Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England's new manager cannot be justified unless he wins the 2026 World Cup.

England hasn't triumphed in a major competition since the World Cup in 1966, although under Gareth Southgate, Tuchel's predecessor, they came very close to doing so on multiple occasions.

In addition to leading his nation to the Euro 2020 final, the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, Southgate quit soon after his team lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.

Following his appointment as the third foreign manager of the English men's team on Wednesday, Tuchel will have no shortage of brilliant players at his disposal, notably Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and Harry Kane of Bayern Munich.

The German possesses an impressive track record of winning major trophies from spells at Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Tuchel led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and won league titles at Bayern and PSG.
We just need a trophy, nothing else. That's what we need in a manager," Shearer said on the podcast The Rest Is Football.

"Tuchel has an amazing resume, no question about it, but this will be a very different test for him. Without a question, the Football Association (FA) made a daring step with this.

It is your responsibility to win the tournament; that is why he was hired. The group of players is the greatest England has had in a very long time, according to them (the FA).

The choice to not choose an English coach has caused some opposition to Tuchel's appointment.

After serving as England's under-21 team captain, Lee Carsley took over as interim manager for the final four games.

Since Tuchel's contract doesn't start until January 1, 2025, Carsley will once again captain England in the Nations League against the Republic of Ireland and Greece in January.

Former England striker Gary Lineker stated of the team, "Tuchel will have looked at this squad and thought there is so much talent in there, this is an unbelievable opportunity to win the greatest trophy of all."

"Carsley would have been my choice for the post. I've seen enough to conclude that the players genuinely believe in him and that he has the creativity to create engaging front-footed football.

Nevertheless, there weren't many exceptional English applicants for the position.

Before the Premier League was established, in 1992, Howard Wilkinson, the manager of Leeds, was the last native-born manager to win the English top flight.

Eddie Howe of Newcastle and Graham Potter, who has been unemployed since Chelsea fired him in April 2023, were mentioned in relation to the position.

However, earlier this week, it was revealed that Pep Guardiola, the Spanish manager of Manchester City, had also been contacted by the FA regarding his interest in the role.

Former England defender Micah Richards remarked, "The point is we don't have an English candidate strong enough to take that job."

"I felt that we should hire the most qualified candidate for the position; we don't need an English manager." Tuchel is, in my opinion, a superb manager and a proven winner.