ENGLAND FORTUNES HELD BY A GERMAN

Tuchel's appointment may be even more contentious as the nation turns to a big rival

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The post of coach of the England men's national football team has long been described - with only a hint of exaggeration - as the second-most important job in the country. In terms of prestige, significance and pressure, the theory goes, it is outstripped only by the even more thankless task of being Britain's Prime Minister.

From Jan 1, the position that occupies such an outsized role in the national psyche will be filled by a German. The Football Association (FA), the body that oversees England's national sport, confirmed on Oct 16 that it had agreed on a deal with Thomas Tuchel to take charge of the Three Lions until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

The sporting logic behind the appointment of the 51-year-old is impeccable. He has coached several of the world's most prominent clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. He has won domestic honours in both France and Germany, and lifted the Champions League trophy with English Premier League side Chelsea in 2021.

He is, as the FA said in a statement, "one of the best coaches in the world," an ideal candidate to salve English football's open wound: the fact that it has not won a major men's tournament since 1966.

But despite his heavyweight resume, Tuchel's appointment has not met with universal approval. The right-leaning Daily Mail described his arrival as a "dark day for England" on Oct 16.

The tabloid placed particular emphasis on the fact that the country had hired not just a foreigner but someone from Germany: traditionally one of England's great rivals, sporting and otherwise. The word "German" was in all capital letters on the newspaper's back page on Oct 16.