England treading water while waiting for Thomas Tuchel finally to begin work

Incoming German head coach’s decision to wait until the new year to start leaves the national side in limbo, merely wasting valuable time

Whatever happens with Thomas Tuchel during his 18 months as England’s next head coach he cannot make the familiar excuse of an international manager. Tuchel can never claim that he did not have enough time to work with the players; that he had too few training sessions.
Why? Because Tuchel gave up the chance to take the job immediately. He decided against being in charge for the final camp of the year – this week’s Nations League fixtures away against Greece and at home versus the Republic of Ireland. He decided against that precious time.
The games have already been presented as dead rubbers – even though they are competitive matches that have consequences – and Tuchel has effectively endorsed that view.
And so inevitably, with such a tough club fixture schedule, there has been a spate of eight withdrawals from Lee Carsley’s 26-man squad, almost a third of the entire squad. No one can blame the players or, rather, their clubs.
By leaving Carsley in the dugout England have invited that. Not because it is Carsley but because the long-term successor to Gareth Southgate apparently signed his contract on Oct 8 but has decided that he does not need to start the job until Jan 1. That is three months later. And three months in football – whatever the calendar or time of year – are crucial.
Why has Tuchel done this? It has nothing to do with money and his contract at Bayern Munich, the club he left in the summer, or even, as has been suggested, to avoid the controversy over whether he will or will not wear a poppy this month (he wore one when he was Chelsea manager and will be England manager next November).
No, instead it is because Tuchel himself regards a New Year’s Day start as cleaner. He believes it gives him a defined 18-month period in which he can hit the ground running and get his messages across more effectively. He believes he is not a long-term project manager but one who can come in and get the job done with his intense methods – and that job is to win the next World Cup. Nothing else will do.
And the other reason? His trusted assistant Anthony Barry is not free to join him until the turn of the year and he is still assembling his backroom staff. The highly-rated Liverpudlian coach is currently working as Roberto Martínez’s No 2 with Portugal, having fulfilled the same role for him with Belgium at the last World Cup. Barry assisted Tuchel at Chelsea and also at Bayern.
Maybe there is logic in this. But time is of the essence and, unfortunately, it gives the impression that England are just marking time right now.
Carsley revealed when he named his squad last week that he had not spoken to Tuchel. “He is fully respectful that I am in charge,” Carsley said. But that is illogical. It is not a matter of respect or lack of respect. He is not in charge. He is the caretaker who has already said he will happily return to his former role as Under-21s coach.
There is nothing unfair about asking Carsley to do that now or about Tuchel having an input. Carsley has suggested he was told he would take the three camps for the senior team this autumn. But it was not set in stone; it was not a contractual arrangement. Things change. Carsley is not going to sue the Football Association or threaten to quit if it had asked him to step aside now. The players will not think any less of him if he ends up taking four matches rather than six.
So, instead, there was a text message of “congratulations” from Carsley and a response of “good luck for the window and look forward to meeting up” back from Tuchel who will not be in Athens or London in the coming days to watch England in person either.
It is reminiscent of those managers who are appointed and insist on spending their first game observing and not in the dugout. They should just get on with it. Except Tuchel is not even expected to be in the stands as he keeps his distance.
What is he concerned about? He will not have Barry by his side for this one camp but does that really matter? Maybe he fears his message will be diluted if he does not have his full team in place. But is that really a concern when he is dealing with such elite players? Surely, instead, a manager of Tuchel’s ability and standing should simply back himself and take over at the earliest opportunity.
And why is he not spending time at St George’s Park in the next two months, immersing himself in the role and what it means and discovering more about England’s coaching network and the players coming through? Why is he not going to Premier League games and developing relationships with clubs and managers?
And what of the players? It has been a strange autumn for them following on from the crushing disappointment of losing the final of the Euros, of Southgate going, of waiting to see who will succeed him, of having Carsley and his coaching team of Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott – who will also no longer be with the seniors – and of an underwhelming Nations League campaign. Do they not deserve to work with the manager who has the mission of leading them to World Cup glory as quickly as is possible?
There is a saying in Portugal: eat the food while it is hot. Basically, it means get on with it and do not waste time. Tuchel and the FA are not doing that and it leaves an unsatisfactory atmosphere around England. But, above all, there can be no complaints about the head coach not having enough time. He has forfeited some of that.