Thomas Tuchel is on an 18-month, one-tournament England mission, so January start makes no sense

At Thomas Tuchel unveiling as England new head coach on Wednesday, the message from the German and the Football Association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, could not have been clearer. Tuchel, they both emphasised, had appointe with a mandate to win the 2026 World Cup.

“We are not shy of it, we are absolutely open about it,” Tuchel said of his directive to “put a second star on the shirt” in Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Bullingham, who join Tuchel in facing a packed auditorium at Wembley.

Acknowledge that the controversial decision to appoint a third foreign coach in the national team’s history effectively boiled down to the FA’s desperation to finally win a first men’s trophy since 1966.

“I feel like we owe it to the players and the country to give them. That support and leadership in tournaments to get them over the line and give us the best chance of winning a trophy in the men’s World Cup,” Bullingham said.

Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract from January 1. Which will run until after the World Cup. He admit that he will not remain in the job if the finals are deemed “a failure”. Which, given the lofty objective, effectively makes it a second consecutive ‘win or bust’ tournament for the England head

In a 35-minute press conference. There was not a single mention from Tuchel or Bullingham of the home European Championship in 2028.

Tuchel even justified the สมัคร ufabet strange decision for him to start work in January. With interim head coach Lee Carsley to remain in charge for next month’s conclusion of the Nations League. By saying he wanted a singular focus on the World Cup campaign from the start of qualifying.

“It was important for me to narrow it down into a project and not lose the focus. To start in another competition, the Nations League, then go into [World Cup] qualification and the tournament. I wanted to have a clean start,” he said.

This argument is undermined by the fact. That Tuchel may have to take charge of the Nations League play-offs in March if Carsley’s England slip-up against Greece in Athens or at home to Ireland, and finish second in their four-team group.