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WATCH: Thomas Tuchel gives his first press conference as England head coach

Thomas Tuchel give his first press conference as the new England head coach, and it’s certainly one not to be missed.

Fair to say there are a few pressing questions we want the answers to. Will Tuchel, who does not start until 2025, have any input in Lee Carsley’s squad for next month’s Nations League games?

How can we expect England to play under Tuchel? For the FA, were any English coaches considered and if so, why were they overlooked?

If Tuchel’s contract only takes him through to after the 2026 World Cup, what is the plan beyond that? Is there a succession plan?

Will players in Europe have more of a chance of an England call-up under Tuchel?

Watch what he had to say in full below…

QUOTES FROM TUCHEL AND BULLINGHAM (per Sky Sports & BBC Sport)

England head coach Thomas Tuchel addresses the media before questions begin: “I am very excited to start this journey in January with a very special group of players to make our dream come true in America.”

On whether this is his biggest challenge as a manager – and his biggest achievement whether he can lead England to a title: “I understood very quickly it’s a big job. I think it’s always the job you’re in which is the biggest job.

“It doesn’t make much sense to compare, but it feels big and a privilege. It’s very new because I come from club football, so the rhythm and responsibility, the role is a new role which is very exciting.

“I was very open for that, and liked the idea of it. Once Mark [Bullingham] and John [McDermott] made clear this job is about football, we never lost the momentum and once I made a timeframe in my mind from January to the World Cup, I felt excited already.

“It suited my passion and my strive to push this group of players and be part of this federation with such a strong record in recent tournaments, to push it over the line and put a second star on the shirt.”

On fans being disappointed he is German: “I am sorry that I have a German passport. All of these supporters felt my passion for the Premier League and the country. I loved to live here. 

“Hopefully I can show them that I am proud to be the English manager and I will do everything to show respect to this job and this country.”

FA Chief Executive Officer Mark Bullingham: “We’re always clear we want the very best person for the job. We feel we owe it to both the country and the players to give them that support and leadership to get them over the line.

“We feel we’ve done that with Thomas and we’re excited he’s joined us.”

Tuchel: “I am very emotional and I love what I am doing. I am passionate about football.

“This role just brought the young me alive and brought back my teenage days, to get excited for such a big task.

“For the Three Lions, for preparing matches at Wembley.”

Mark Bullingham spoke when asked if any of the other candidates spoken to were English, and whether interim manager Lee Carsley was one of them.

He understands the “frustration” to outsiders about the silence surrounding the appointment process, but adds: “We had to do that not only for us but also our candidates.

“We interviewed approximately 10 people, we interviewed some English candidates within that. You wouldn’t expect me to divulge any more than that.”

On if he will be singing the national anthem: “I understood from Mark Bullingham that it is a personal decision. I have not made my decision. 

“The English anthem is very moving, I experienced it here in England in FA Cup finals.

“I will always show my respects to the country and a very moving anthem. As this is a news object, I will take a bit of time over this decision.”

On how aware he is of the ’58 years of hurt’ since England won their one and only major trophy, he needed some initial convincing this was the role for him: “Mark and John made very clear this is about football. 

“That excited me very quickly because I wasn’t sure before we had the first talk if this is a role for me, in international football.

“The schedule is very different from club football, but then we found so many similarities and things which suited my approach and hunger to achieve special things.

“I always wanted to come back to England, that was my big goal. I have the best memories of the country, the league and the players. The attitude towards the game, from the supporters that shapes the players and the character of the players.

“It’s one of a kind, that’s why the offer came at the right time – we kept the momentum, and within weeks we found a vision to share and a project and adventure I’m very happy to be a big part of.

“Now I have to live up to it, and I know there are some trophies missing in the federation! I want to help make that happen.”

On wanting to build on Southgate’s success: “We will build on Gareth’s culture. I think they did a great job in terms of stability and consistency. Look at the last results in tournaments, it’s outstanding. The under 21s win titles the younger teams are in competitions to win titles and the women’s team wins titles so we are there.

“I think the Federation is there and that was a big part of taking this job.  I am curious I want to learn, I will have a different schedule than club football but it was a big part to have the quality of the federation on my side to combine it with my ideas.

“We will build on what Gareth did and hopefully add a little extra to get it over the line.”

On the pressure of England: “This is always the last thing I think about. I’m up for the pressure on the sporting side, I’m up for the big challenge.

“I’m up for the task, I’m up for these 18 months to work with this group and be part of this amazing federation.

“These are all the reasons to jump in. The pressure on the personal side? The pressure that could arise if things don’t go well? It’s never part of the decision-making.

“I don’t feel it so much, it’s always a privilege and my love and passion for the game is always much more than the downsides of it.”

On how he turns England into trophy winners: “They are there, we are there. The players proved that they are there. The consistency of reaching quarter-finals and semi-finals and finals is impressive.

“We have players that compete in the strongest league in the world day-in, day-out. We have the ingredients and we fully trust that this is the moment to install patterns and principles that can help to push the team over the line.

“We will need luck not to have injuries and to get little decisions in the game, but we feel confident to add something from our experience in club football that will maybe help.

“We have to live up to these standards. We need to show it in qualification and build an atmosphere with the country. Then special things can happen.”

On about his length of contract, Thomas Tuchel jokes about his often short stints at major clubs: “I am working in my long term game”.

He says that this is a very different situation for him, and that he is happy working on an 18-month deal for now – “It is a good time frame for us, it helps us to focus. It is very streamlined, and helps us work on the best outcome for the 2026 World Cup.”

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham on if it is an ‘uncomfortable truth’ that Thomas Tuchel isn’t English: “We were also very clear that we wanted the very best person for the job and we feel like we owe it to the players and the country to give them that support, leadership in tournaments that will help them get over the line, to give us the best chance of winning a trophy in the men’s World Cup. We feel we’ve done that. We feel delighted that Thomas has joined us.”

Tuchel on having a British edge on his German passport: “Everyone has their opinion and I can understand when someone says they would fancy an English coach more for the English team.

“I can understand it, but I think we deserve a fair chance. We deserve it for having a good record, for never being shy of how much we love living here and working with Premier League players.

“Maybe this counts a little bit for a British edge on my German passport, so we will try to convince [the fans] by results and how we play.”

On his experience at Chelsea and if it’s relatable to England job: “The schedule and workload will be different. I wanted this when the job was presented to me and the FA made it clear that I have their trust. 

“I am also happy to have the chance to learn in this process. To get smarter and to get better.”

Tuchel says he didn’t tell Harry Kane, his former charge at Bayern Munich, before taking the job: “I did speak to no one. We kept it very confidential. I did not speak to Harry or Gareth. I never do this to get my own feelings for it and my own point of view. It’s too early to answer these questions.

“You know how highly I think of Harry and how hard I fought to bring him to Bayern Munich. He is already on his way to being a legend in English football.”

Tuchel on why he chose the England job over Manchester United – a club he was heavily linked with.

He says he was sold a “straightforward” vision by the FA, who convinced him to take the role.

“First of all, they are there. The players proved they are there. The consistency is impressive and we have players who compete in the strongest leagues in the world day in, day out.

“We will need luck, momentum, luck to not have injuries and so on. We feel confident to add something from our experience in club football that can maybe help. We have to prove ourselves all the time. We have to live up to these standards but I’m confident everyone is used to that.

“I think we deserve a fair chance, the credit for having a good record in the country and how much we enjoyed living in the country and working in the Premier League. We will try to convince them with our results and how we play.

“It’s 18 months and then we agreed to sit together and we’ll see. I have good experience with 18-months, unfortunately sometimes. I’m working on my long-term game!

“The last piece of it from me to understand that this is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18-months but to demand from myself to not lose the focus. It’s a good timeframe because it will help us focus. It is very streamlined.”

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham’s opening remarks on appointing Thomas Tuchel as England manager: “We had a really clear recruitment plan in place before the Euros. John McDermott and the team developed our ideal profile for an international coach and a shortlist if we needed it.

“After Gareth [Southgate] resigned we executed that plan, met and evaluated potential candidates.

“Thomas was absolutely outstanding, providing a clear vision of how we will work with out players to get the best out of them and to give us bets chance in World Cup.

“We wanted to wait for the international window to be over before we announced it.

“We are also delighted that Ant [Anthony Barry] is joining us. He is one of the most exciting young English coaches around.

“I’d like to thank Lee Carlsey for stepping into role for six matches, he’s handled himself really well and I’m sure will continue to do so. He will manage the team for the November international window, and then return to lead the Under-21s trying to defend their Euro under-21 title.

“I’d also like to thank Gareth and Steve. The fact we had such a high level of interest in this role was testament to the foundations they laid over their eight years with us.”

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham on other candidates: “The whole process was confidential. I understand at times that may be frustrating for people but we had to make that confidential for us but also really, more importantly for the candidates.

“We interviewed approximately ten people, we did interview some English candidates within that.”

Bullingham on whether Thomas Tuchel was the only person they offered the job to: “We ran a really clear process, we spoke with approximately ten people throughout. Clearly some were more up for the role than others.

“We were absolutely delighted to end up with Thomas and we believe he gives us the best of winning the World Cup so we believe we’ve got the best candidate for the job.”

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