How leading football nations have fared with foreign managers
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There has been widespread discontent with Thomas Tuchel's appointment as English national football team manager. For a country like England, with its rich football legacy, traditionalists find enormous distaste in the idea of appointing a foreign coach.
This criticism has been championed by top voices in the sports world such as Arsene Wenger and the Dailymail newspaper.
The argument around Tuchel's nationality has undermined the general consensus on his tactical brilliance, which he proved during his managerial reign at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. There is a school of thought that believes a national team coach should have the same ethnic origins as his players.
Concerns about losing national identity as a team and as a symbol of values have sparked disputes about how other major footballing nations have dealt with foreign managers and whether England can set these aside in order to improve performance.
In truth, there are grounds for skepticism about Tuchel's appointment. Since Sven-Göran Eriksson was hired in 2001, England's relationship with foreign managers has been somewhat fraught.
Though England reached the quarterfinals of three big events (2002 World Cup, 2004 Euros, 2006 World Cup) due to his technical sophistication, the criticism about Eriksson's lack of a strong link to English football culture lingered throughout his reign.
Eriksson created history as the first national team manager without an English background. He was devalued despite his good performance by many standards because he couldn't grasp the English people's fierce loyalty to their national team.
Therefore, one might question whether a foreign manager can truly inspire national pride and garner the same level of support as a local coach.
But not only the English are conflicted with foreign managers in national teams. Because of the complicated interaction between tactical knowledge and national identity, many countries have experimented with foreign managers to different degrees of success.
Fellow home nations
The three other home nations—Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—have varying perspectives on foreign administration, influenced by factors such as national pride and resource scarcity. Both Wales and Scotland have a long-standing tradition of supporting local coaches.
Given their appreciation for outstanding club managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein, many Scots football fans believe a Scot ought to be the national team head coach. This kind of thinking promotes a strong sense of national solidarity and pride, which is especially important in the face of international competition. Compared to club level, Wales has experimented with foreign influence to a lesser extent for the national team. Having led Wales to the Euro 2016 semifinal, Chris Coleman is proof positive of the effectiveness of the approach.
Drawing on Welsh football's customs, Coleman rallied the team and stoked national pride and determination. The achievements of the nation have led many in Wales to believe that a native manager can motivate their players to perform at their best by developing a feeling of shared country culture. Still, alternative points of view have been sought throughout periods of rebuilding.
Northern Ireland has opted to keep its national football team leadership within the United Kingdom despite constraints on player resources and managerial decisions.
Like their counterparts in Scotland and Wales, managers in Northern Ireland are expected to be familiar with the particular football issues faced by the nation.
By getting to know every player personally and motivating them to cooperate toward a shared goal, coaches like Michael O'Neill, who guided Northern Ireland to their first ever European Championship in 2016, demonstrate how successful a grassroots approach can be.
In nations like the UK where native leadership is highly appreciated, a manager who shares the team's national identity may motivate and unite the players better than a foreign coach.
However, their current performances raise the question of whether these teams would fare better in a more globalised game if they regularly absorbed foreign expertise.
Republic of Ireland
Under Giovanni Trapattoni's direction of the Republic of Ireland from 2008 to 2013, Italy—a country with a footballing past that aligns with England's—gained considerable experience. One of the all-time greats in Italian club football management, Trapattoni was thought to be a sensible choice for a country that loved the game but lacked the same rich legacy as other European countries.
With Trapattoni as their coach, Ireland qualified for the 2012 European Championship. Some, however, attacked his strict tactical approach for suppressing team creativity.
More importantly, this raises the question of whether cultural misalignment or a manager's tactical philosophy can ever change.
France
France takes immense delight in its multicultural football identity and the achievements of its native players; this is akin to the nation's long-standing habit of promoting from within rather than importing foreign managers.
Still, there were demands for an outsider to offer fresh ideas following their disastrous 1994 World Cup qualifying loss. France finally turned away the temptation and assigned Aimé Jacquet, a fellow Frenchman who would guide Les Bleus to a 1998 home-soil World Cup triumph, as national team coach.
Thanks to homegrown coaches like Didier Deschamps and Raymond Domenech, who have helped the national team achieve even more international success, the French strategy of avoiding hiring foreign managers has primarily been effective.
This begs the question of whether other foreign coaches could have provided France a fresh approach to remain dominant in trying circumstances, such as the horrible 2010 World Cup.
Germany
Another pertinent illustration is the influence of immigrants occupying management roles in Germany. Though Germany has a long-standing resistance to non-Germans serving as national team coaches, foreign tactical ideas have shaped the sport, particularly in relation to the hiring of foreign managers at the club level.
Early mistrust resulted from German national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann bringing in American fitness coach Mark Verstegen and extensively using the tactical expertise of assistant Joachim Löw. Klinsmann was head coach from 2004 till 2006.
But things improved when Löw became coach, and the national team set the stage for their 2014 World Cup victory by fusing German efficiency with international ideas.
Their modernisation is dependent on incorporating foreign knowledge into the team's strategies; hence, Klinsmann was eager to do so despite his German origins.
Having a foreigner lead a national team may spark criticism, but it also highlights the intricate relationship national teams have with management counsel from other countries.
The Spanish national team has made excellent use of its abundance of home-grown talent rather than hiring foreign coaches. The success of La Liga, the Spanish domestic league known for its competitiveness and tactical diversity, undoubtedly influences this decision.
Based on Vicente del Bosque's achievements—which include managing Spain to two European Championship crowns and a 2010 World Cup triumph—a native manager familiar with the nuances of a nation's footballing scene may be the best fit.
Some, meanwhile, question whether a foreign manager could have better addressed Spain's problems following 2012, which resulted in early elimination from the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship. Notwithstanding all this, Spain is among the most exclusive footballing countries in terms of manager appointments.
The advantages of exposure to different cultures are less important to the Spanish than cultural compatibility and continuity.
Belgium
Particularly during their recent football revival, Belgium has been more receptive to foreigners managing their national football teams.
In 2016, the Belgian Football Association appointed Spaniard Roberto Martínez as head coach. Martínez guided Belgium to third place and its best-ever World Cup finish in 2018.
Martínez demonstrated the benefits of appointing a foreign manager with new tactical viewpoints during his tenure.
His ability to include European style benefitted Belgian stars Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku—the "golden generation."
Recent success for countries like Belgium open to employing foreign managers shows how these moves might optimise talent by bringing fresh approaches to strategy.
Italy
To underline the value of cultural continuity and national identity, Italy has always chosen national team managers from inside the country.
Italy has established a culture that prioritises discipline, tactical awareness, and defensive skill as a result of this decision.
Like Marcello Lippi (who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy), coaches with these qualities and thorough knowledge of Italian football culture are invaluable.
Although the Italian Football Federation has been more flexible in the past, they remain convinced that native Italians are the best advocates of Italian football principles.
But the country has also suffered because of this isolationist attitude. Many observers questioned whether a new manager may have given the team fresh ideas and assisted in their adaptation to the always changing international scene following Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Under Italian coach Roberto Mancini, Italy won Euro 2020, but he struggled to lead his squad, and they missed the World Cup 2022. Italy has regularly turned to its own squad of strategists instead of foreign managers in spite of these losses.
Netherlands
The Netherlands presents a fascinating case study for foreign appointments to national team roles. Former managers of the Dutch national team have a rich background of success and have been powerful players in international coaching. The Dutch football philosophy is very popular.
The Dutch national team has, however, hardly ever sought advice outside. Using the great legacy of football in their nation, Dutchmen Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal managed the national team to multiple World Cup triumphs.
Many questioned whether, after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the team's generational transition would have been easier from a foreigner's perspective.
Especially in trying circumstances, the Dutch are dedicated to maintaining their footballing identity by means of native coaches.
Portugal
Portugal, on the other hand, has been more open to bringing in foreign managers; however, the outcomes have varied.
Appointing Luiz Felipe Scolari as Brazil's coach in 2003 was a daring decision since the team had never won a big international tournament. Portugal became a formidable opponent on the international stage under Scolari's leadership, demonstrating his extensive expertise and winning philosophy.
Before this, Scolari had guided Brazil to a World Cup triumph in 2002. Portugal made it to the World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and the Euro 2004 final under Scolari's direction, but they never could take home a major title annually.
As head coach, Scolari demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a seasoned foreign manager. He clearly had little trouble extending the success of the club to the next level, but he battled to control the cultural standards and unique football approach of his team.
Argentina
Although Argentina is well-known for its intense football scene and long record of churning out top-notch players, the appointment of foreign managers has always been a divisive issue in the nation. The country's deep love of football and pride in producing home-grown talent—for both coaching and play—help to explain this reluctance.
The Argentine FA greatly values a national manager who is conversant with the football scene of Argentina.
Prominent Argentine managers with this perspective include Carlos Bilardo (1986) and César Luis Menotti (1978), who guided their teams to World Cup successes.
Argentina has kept its dedication to domestic coaches over its history, particularly in trying times like the years following its 1993 Copa América victory, on the conviction that these managers are more suited to negotiate the cultural and emotional complexity of the national team.
Brazil
In order to find players that epitomise the national style of play—which is defined as a mix of creativity, talent, and flair—Brazilian teams have also always relied on local management. Similar to Argentina, Brazil takes great pride in its football heritage, which is why many are apprehensive about a foreign manager leading the team.
Since their first boss, Vicente Feola, in 1958, the five-time winners have turned to Brazilian managers.
Given the impact of European techniques on the international game, rumours about the likelihood of a foreign coach joining Brazil's national team have surfaced recently.
Notwithstanding these arguments, the Brazilian Football Confederation has continued its custom of selecting Brazilian managers in the hopes that they could help preserve the team's original character.
Tuchel: Is a foreign manager ideal for England?
Clearly, Tuchel is under attack for more than just his tactical prowess in the current debate about his job. Instead, criticisms are closely entwined with more general concerns of cultural representation, national identity, and the manager's symbolic responsibility in safeguarding a nation's football philosophy.
Managing a national team—especially one as scrutinised as England's—presents a much different set of challenges than club football, where international managers are on the rise, despite Tuchel having thrived in several leagues and clubs.
National managers represent the values, goals, and personality of the nation they serve, not only as tacticians.
Past performance will determine Tuchel's managerial success in England depending on his tactical genius and ability to negotiate the challenges of leading a team whose identity is closely linked to its national pride. Whether the German Tuchel can really play this part is unknown.
Last but not least, it is clear that manager nationality is not the only factor influencing performance on the pitch, even if selecting foreign managers from different European countries produces conflicting results.
Conversely, for success, there must be cultural knowledge, cooperation, and tactical acumen present in perfect harmony.
Whether England is ready to adopt a more global leadership style, one that stresses results over legacy and aims to include worldwide viewpoints into its footballing identity, determines more than the success or failure of a foreign manager such as Tuchel.
English football's future may depend on its capacity to let go of its history; if Tuchel can strike a positive balance, he still has an opportunity to show that national pride and international understanding can coexist.