Thomas Tuchel has asked supporters and pundits who believe the England manager should be English to “give us a chance” and joked that he is sorry for having a German passport.
Former Chelsea manager Tuchel has become the third foreign coach to take charge of England, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, and will be the first German in the post when he officially starts work on January 1.
That has prompted debate over whether or not the England manager should be English and Tuchel said: “I think everyone has their opinion and I can understand even the opinion I would fancy an English coach more for the English team.
“But I think we deserve a fair chance, we deserve the credit for having a good record in the country, for never being shy of how much we love to live in the country and how much we enjoy working with the players in the Premier League. Maybe this counts a little bit for a British edge on my German passport. So we will try to convince them by the results and the way we play.”
Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, with English players such as Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount in his squad, and signed England captain Harry Kane for Bayern Munich last year.
That has not stopped the likes of Gary Neville, Harry Redknapp and Alan Smith saying they would like the England manager to be English.
Tuchel added: “I am sorry to have a German passport, but maybe the supporters can feel my passion for the English Premier League, my passion for the country, how I love to live and work here. How my memories are of the highest level and they played a huge role. Hopefully, I can convince people and show them and prove to them that I am proud to be England manager.
“I will do everything to show respect to this role and to this country. The target for the next 18 months is nothing else. This is the biggest one in world football and everybody can be assured…no matter of nationality.”
On the subject of Tuchel’s nationality, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “We were always very clear that we wanted the best person for the job and 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. We feel we have done that and are delighted that Thomas has joined us.”
England’s interim head coach Lee Carsley caused controversy by deciding not to sing the national anthem and Tuchel skillfully sidestepped that topic when asked by a broadcaster.
“I understood from Mark that it’s a personal decision first of all if you sing it and there were managers who sang it and others who didn’t,” said Tuchel.
“I have not made my decision yet. I want to be very honest with you. Your anthem is very moving, the English anthem is very moving. I experienced it several times here at Wembley, even with the players at the FA Cup final. It was very touching.
“No matter what decision I will take … we have time until March … I will always show my respect to my new role, to the country and of course to a very moving anthem. But as this is a new subject, I will take a bit of time for this decision.”
On his appointment as England’s permanent manager, Tuchel said: “Of course, I am very excited and honoured to be here today as the new head coach.
“I just had the chance to read a quote from Pele in the building at Wembley who said that Wembley is the heart, the capital and the cathedral of football and I think he was absolutely right.
“I want to take the opportunity to thank the FA, especially John [McDermott, the technical director] and Mark for their trust. I am very excited to start this journey in January with you, with the staff at St George’s Park and at Wembley, and with the very exciting and special players.”
Tuchel’s appointment was given royal approval as the Prince of Wales, the patron of the FA, posted on social media: “Exciting times for England, with a generation of talented players and a new manager taking the reins. Thomas, wishing you the best of luck, we’re all behind you! W.”