Thomas Tuchel always did speak well. Other than when he was constructing elite tactical plans to beat world class opposition, he often came into his own when fronting up and explaining.
His first England press conference was no different. "You can light up a stadium so easily in the Premier League, with one tackle or one header," he said with his smooth, eloquent German twang. "This is what it is. We are England. We are not Argentina, we are not Spain. That is the DNA, energy and ready to fight."
He had previously told ITV that England were "more afraid to drop out of the tournament [Euro 2024], in my observation, than having the excitement and hunger to win it." Honest but personable: this is Tuchel.
On Friday, his first team will be named. His first match played. It would be a surprise if it wasn't with a three-man defence in mind given his preferences at Bayern Munich and Chelsea. He has been successful with a variety of approaches, though, and remains an extremely adaptable reader of the game.
This is the football side to Tuchel which is founded on control, like many others. He wants patience and regimentation. He also wants pressure, speed, total buy-in, and effort. He needs focus and steel. His teams are physical and strong. What he is asking is always plainly clear, for good and bad.
He has also always been able to tap into the energy of supporters and the teams he is with. It is what made him so adored at Chelsea. The success and trophies help, but Tuchel embodied what fans felt it was to be Chelsea.
During the Covid-19 pandemic he was put forward to be a spokesperson without a shield for Chelsea. He was there to address the sacking of Frank Lampard. One year later it was he who took to the media to talk about the European Super League and then the war in Ukraine.
He was the man in the spotlight when Roman Abramovich announced he was selling the club. Tuchel became the picture of Chelsea. He felt the pain and wore it. Loving to be hated, Chelsea fans lapped it up, and it's no surprise why. He is already doing the same with England.
Two-and-a-half years on from his exit and many are excited again to watch Tuchel in charge. He was not as accessible at Bayern Munich with less focus on Bundesliga football outside of Champions League matches. Even then, Tuchel knocked out Arsenal over two legs with a struggling Bayern side at the time. That made Chelsea fans flock to him even more.
Tuchel breathes passion and brings it through as a tremendous orator. Even when not in his first language he describes with clarity and detail. He brings an identity, intensity, and demand that is then asked of his players and whatever club he is at. The same will be true in international football.
Instead of one fanbase, Tuchel has effectively already united a country on a sporting scale. Those who were devoted Southgaters may fail to see just what Tuchel brings to the job. Those of a Chelsea persuasion can see the buzz and glow around him again. They, perhaps, see the potential in this unlikely but perfect match more than others.
Tuchel's early talking has been just as it was at Chelsea. Respectful of Southgate (England's best manager since Sir Alf Ramsey and the one with the most consistent track record of going deep in major tournaments), Tuchel is following up a popular but flawed figure again.
He did so at Chelsea with Lampard but has immediately grabbed the room. Many did not need convincing by Tuchel. He was the experienced, top-level answer to go with one of the most talented pools of players on the planet. He has what Southgate doesn't in many ways but must find a way to maintain the biggest strengths of the previous manager as well.
Tuchel looks like he is ready and on course to do this. He is fresh, determined, and restored. This is the start of the cycle. He is reminding Chelsea of what they had and the good times.
His press conferences are a reminder of the joy he would bring. His mannerisms are associated largely with positivity. His quirks are cute and approachable. This is early stage Tuchel at its finest and few have been as lovestruck as Chelsea fans were when he was in charge.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel (Image: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
This is a manager who came through the hard moments and delivered. If he depicts everything that Chelsea were then, he is the antithesis of what they now are.
There is a debate to be had over what extent this is entirely bad. Chelsea as a club did need modernising but instead of evolving with a renowned head coach, Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly wanted to do things their way. Revolution was favoured and has continued.
Tuchel was sacked less than four months after the Chelsea takeover was completed in May 2022. For much of the period since they have fallen from seventh place, where Tuchel had them at the start of the 2022/23 season.
Enzo Maresca has shown signs of improvement and is in fourth but he is working in far-from-ideal conditions with a squad built only with the future in mind. Tuchel would not stand for this.
His only summer under Clearlake-Boehly was a mess. His targets did not work out for a multitude of reasons. Mainly they were not good fits for the team but had Chelsea stuck with some of the Abramovich-era directors to get through the window - rather than moving on from Petr Cech, Bruce Buck, and Marina Granovskaia - then things might have been different, at least immediately. They might have reached the same conclusion but not as dramatically.
That is all conjecture, though. Tuchel eventually would have been asked to work under a new structure of open communication and within a hierarchy. Given that he is now a part of the FA system, it is strange to suggest he cannot do this, but at Chelsea he grew increasingly frustrated at what the new owners were wanting of him.
Tuchel is a training ground head coach with the demands of a manager. He wants little to do with transfers, really, but does have major expectations of those who will do the business for him. He wants to drill a team on the grass but be backed in the market. He will complain about not being left alone but then hit out when not supported or involved.
It is a tough balancing act to strike, and Tuchel can come across as contrived. He says a lot and does not always act on the words. He was not perfect and his behaviour as Chelsea coach became increasingly erratic. Whether that is because of the ownership change or whether that is simply who he is and will always be remains to be seen.
Thomas Tuchel celebrates with the European Cup in May 2021
Thomas Tuchel celebrates with the European Cup in May 2021 (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Like with many, Tuchel's strengths can become his weaknesses. The relentless nature of his man-management or the highest of high standards. They work until the don't, and the timeline is not usually an extended one.
You can win with Tuchel but for how long? The 18-month contract until the World Cup says it all. There is a specific goal in mind and Tuchel will be good for that. Anything further down the line is no guarantee, if anything is.
At Chelsea he began to lose the faith of senior players. His methods and the trust were eroded. It happened with Romelu Lukaku midway through his only full season in charge and the issues spread. On and off the field, the noise around the club did not help. Everyone was tired. Tuchel could not continue gluing it all together.
Fundamentally, what Clearlake-Boehly wanted Chelsea to become did not align with Tuchel and the seams split pretty quickly. They divided faster than anyone could have imagined. The big calls at the start backfired and Chelsea are still working their way down another path.
That is the direction Chelsea wished to take. Tuchel will not carry the can or shrink away. He is a big name and knows it. He is not arrogant but confident. When he is in a good mood he is hard not to unite behind. He also has a foul side to him which can overstep the mark.
For now Chelsea fans will get all the Tuchel fix they can. He will remain etched into club folklore and for good reason. The memories created cannot be diminished. He was the last standing public body removed before the New Chelsea was rushed in.
That provides a sense of immediate nostalgia for those who had such high hopes of Tuchel. He had an incredibly successful time at Stamford Bridge but still left so much unwritten.
If for nothing else, Chelsea fans may well just be celebrating Tuchel in the England dugout because it means he isn't at another club or a rival. That would be almost unstomachable, and understandably so.
Tuchel is back, which everyone loves, but there is an undeniable sadness and mourning that Chelsea fans have to experience when seeing him out there again. That isn't going to change, and neither is Tuchel.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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