talkSPORT was lucky enough to get an hour of England manager Thomas Tuchel’s time and the interview has already shot across the globe.
The Chelsea Champions League-winner was fascinating on a range of topics, from a tricky June international break, to individual squad players, and even his favourite song.
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A winner wherever he’s been, Tuchel has been tasked with the ultimate triumph – lifting the World Cup with England in 2026.
Named in the role as the Three Lions first German manager in October, Tuchel’s only four games into his reign, but is quickly learning it’s far from straight forward with a three-game winning run ended by Senegal in Nottingham.
Before that a drab 1-0 win over Andorra raised some alarm bells, and it’s clear Tuchel has plenty of thinking to do before he’s next reunited with his squad in September.
That’s the first port of call, as we run through the best bits from our hour-long exclusive.
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Transition from club to country
“I already have an idea of where to go next but the players aren’t coming in the next hour so I can’t direct them and look at the outlook and perspective on where we’re going next, so this is very different.
“It’s a balance I have to get used to, as a club manager you look more or less two weeks ahead and you don’t look too far ahead to not get distracted.
“But we have to take care of logistics, base camps, hotels, pre-camps, to make sure we have the best possible environment to be successful, that means we go next week to America to visit clubs and training facilities around the Club World Cup and feel what it does to European teams to play at 3pm in Miami.
“Club level football has become so flexible, there aren’t many teams that do the same tactics on a daily basis, managers adapt.
“Is it maybe on us to find the one system with a slight variation on it so the players know they have the space?
“I still need to figure this out and how much we can inject into a group without overloading them with information and slowing our game down.”
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Main focus
“We have everything we need to play with this high energy but we don’t see it enough on an international level, that’s the point we’re focusing on since we began the job – how can we inject this?
“I think it’s massively about connections, that the team generates joy playing together and finds connections easily when we come to the camp, so it’s not a new start every time we come.
“It was a bit of a forced new start at this camp because we invited new players and tried new formations so maybe I have to take that responsibility.”
Big Picture
“I still like the first camp, I think it was a big success with everything we did and started building. We did some experiments in the second camp and not everything was bad, but of course the two games were not good enough.
“It’s hard learning at the moment but it brings clarity, every match at the moment and everything we try even if it comes after a defeat brings clarity and helps us mould the team and find solutions.
“Maybe we need to get our expectations right, yesterday they arrived with a clear objective to win the match and make history. We arrived to win the match, but would we have the same joy after the match? I don’t think so.
“You felt more joy and agility in their game than our game so it made me question, are we holding ourselves back? At a point do we need to accept and respect the quality on the other side and celebrate more? Create an environment where players feel they can express their joy more freely.
“Or is it just not in us? Is it maybe a way of lifestyle that is connected to different cultures? I don’t have the answer but I think step by step we have to get the expectations right match by match, then it becomes easier to express ourselves.”
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A first defeat against Senegal
“I’m still disappointed, we hate to lose. Now we’ve done the debrief it gets better. You dig into little clips and deeper analysis of what we did in the camp and straightaway the focus goes to solutions and this helps me process it.
“We faced a very strong opponent who were ready to make history and played the opportunity with more hunger than us. I think they had a clear player and I know from their players that they had a clear target to make history and beat England for the first time so it was bigger than a friendly.
“I’m not saying we had the wrong attitude. I felt us committed, I felt us focused and well prepared but you could see that we lacked connections on the pitch, between the players in terms of distances, in terms of combinations but also in terms of communication and joy.”
Jordan Henderson criticism
“I am not aware of it to be honest. We were convinced about this move to bring him back and since I met him in person and since I saw him and observed him in camp, I am more convinced than ever that he is a very important addition to this group.
“Especially when we talk about connections, especially when we talk about setting standards and keeping the group up to the standards.
“He is at the moment the man that I don’t want to miss the value of having people within your camp that do set those standards.
“He is still lean, he is still fit. He is still ready to push on a level that matches international level. I am convinced he is still ambitious.
“He pushes the group, he takes care of training, he takes care of the attitude, he actually brings players together.
“So we see different better versions of players when Jordan is in camp than if he is not in camp, and that is all I can say.”
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The end for Kyle Walker?
“I am aware that Kyle got a lot of criticism for his performance yesterday and I am sure that we are all aware that he had not his best day.
“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] is also out of rhythm lately in the week, so it is also a little bit about alternatives who could have been with us.
“We decided to give, for example, Tino Livramento, the chance to play his last tournament for the U21s which is a highly valuable tournament for us to see him there in a leadership role – taking responsibility, knowing that it is on his shoulders.
“So yeah, we did not make ourselves easy with the nomination. I can see. I can understand the question.”
“And Kyle deserved for me to be in camp because of what he did in the last camp.”
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Getting the best out of Jude Bellingham
“I think he brings an edge, which we welcome, and which is needed if we want to achieve big things.
“The edge needs to be channelled towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate teammates or to be over-aggressive towards teammates or referees, but towards opponents.
“He has the fire and I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire. That’s his strength. But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a teammate.
“You see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. So if he can channel this in the right way and we can help him in this, then for sure he has the something that we need, and he has a certain edge that is hard to find.
“He is a nice kid, very open, very intelligent, and very easy so far. But I see that it can create mixed emotions.
“I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice and well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see.
“And the smile – if he smiles, he wins everyone. But sometimes you see the rage, you see the hunger and the rage and the fire and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive for example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV. I see that.
“But in general, we are very happy to have him. He’s a special boy.”
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The new Club World Cup
“I think it’s a long format, on one hand I can understand the excitement, if I was a little boy I would have watched these matches between Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich, between Juventus and Manchester City and an Arabian team and European team.
“But I feel that it’s too long, the amount of time the players will spend in the US and in hotel rooms and travelling, it’s heavy on their shoulders playing such a long tournament after a long competitive season – that gives me goosebumps.
“I think teams like Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal will have a huge advantage in next season’s title race to have this time off now, to have a half decent pre-season and plan and build up the physical performance of the players.”
Staying on as England manager?
“It’s an honour to be the English head coach. I know a big tournament is coming up in England (Euro 2028) and I will always be tempted. I can tell you that even after the disappointing result yesterday.
“If you ask me today, yes. I feel that I’m in the right place and enjoy where I am. I love the new challenge. I wanted a new challenge and a new environment. I feel the support, the trust and respect of the people in the federation.
“I love the group of players and want to push them. It just feels right and it’s a clear yes from my side.
“To have the chance to be close to the Premier League and also to update myself to have this input from various people, from places like rugby and the armed forces, in how to build strong teams and have a little bit of a different rhythm and reflect on it.
“Also to see a different side of high level football and have the chance to pick a squad without a transfer period.
“It’s the right challenge for me, at the moment. It’s a big challenge that is absolutely clear and I love it. That’s why I’m not in doubt.
“It was my happiest months and years of my career so far to be in the Premier League so it was the main reason to be close to the league and the players and having this huge affection for the passion for football in this country.”
Quick fire
Best dressed England player: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Favourite song: Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
Favourite book: Water Music – TC Boyle
How to relax: Breathwork, meditation, running, meet friends for a coffee, go to a bookstore
One foreign player for England: Rodri
