Hiring Tuchel a good decision, say two-thirds of England fans

After speculation that candidates including Pep Guardiola, Eddie Howe, and others might take over from Lee Carsley as manager of the England men’s football team, Thomas Tuchel was appointed to the role on 16 October 2024. But what do fans make of the appointment? 

Overall, opinion is positive. Two in three England fans (64%) approve of the FA’s decision to hire the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach, with just 8% in dissent. 

One in six (17%) can’t say if Tuchel is a good or bad hire yet, and for 8% he remains an unknown quantity. Approval of the decision to hire Tuchel is reflected in general favourability. Some 63% of England fans have a positive opinion of him overall, with just 7% taking a negative view. 

A potential question for fans of the national team: what kind of football will Tuchel’s England play? Former manager Gareth Southgate brought the men’s side to two European finals, but was accused of tactical rigidity and overly conservative play. 

So we asked England supporters whether it is more important for the national team to play attractive football, or simply win games. And while they’re more likely to say victory is a priority (34%) over style(13%), half say it’s equally important (52%). 

Tuchel’s trophy cabinet includes league titles, domestic & European cups, and a raft of individual honours. But he has also been characterised – some argue unfairly – as a defensive, “pragmatic” manager. Will he be able to satisfy both the fans’ desire for attractive play and their desire to win matches at the same time? 

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YouGov polled 2,000 British adults online on 16-17 October, 706 of whom said they were interested in football and fans of the England men’s team. The survey was carried out through YouGov Surveys: Self-serve. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region, and social grade. The margin of error is 2% for the overall sample. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Self-serve.