Daniel Farke's 'good relationship' with Thomas Tuchel as Leeds United boss sends message to new England manager
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Daniel Farke expects Thomas Tuchel to relish the pressure of being England manager, having worked with his compatriot at Borussia Dortmund.
Tuchel was announced as England’s national team boss on Wednesday, putting pen to paper on an 18-month contract which will take him from January to the 2026 World Cup. The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager is just the third foreigner to take charge of the Three Lions, a notoriously difficult gig.
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Hide AdBut the 51-year-old has enjoyed success just about everywhere he’s worked, including a DFB-Pokal triumph with Borussia Dortmund during the 2016/17 campaign. Leeds United boss Farke was in charge of Dortmund’s B team at the time and worked closely with Tuchel, who he expects to thrive as England boss.
“First of all congratulations to Thomas and England,” Farke said. “I think he’s a top solution. His CV speaks for itself. He’s a world-class coach. He’s coached Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea, Bayern - lots of experience. He won the German title, German Cup, French title, French Cup and won the Champions League with Chelsea.
“I’ve worked pretty close with Thomas when we were both in charge at Dortmund. I know he will appreciate this job. He has so much quality. My fingers are crossed for him. First of all, his qualities as a manager, that’s the most important topic and you need a bit of experience when you work with such a high-quality group of players. He knows about the mentality and football culture.
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Hide Ad“He won't crack under the pressure because, believe me when you work for Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich you also have this pressure. You can win 10 games and then draw - the world goes down. There's also a pressure you face if you coach a national team because in a competition, just one game can knock you out of the competition.”
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It’s been seven years since the pair left Dortmund to go their separate ways, with the sole reunion coming in 2021 as Tuchel’s Chelsea thumped Farke’s Norwich City 7-0. Leeds will hope a return to the Premier League might see the England manager at Elland Road on scouting duties ahead of the World Cup - a visit which should be much more cordial than the last couple.
Farke will hope to welcome Tuchel to West Yorkshire after taking Leeds into the top-flight and maintains a close relationship with his former colleague, who can expect a congratulatory message in the near future.
“We had a really good relationship at Dortmund, right now once you’re in charge it's always difficult [to keep in contact],” the Whites boss admitted. “You leave the other managers alone. I didn't have the time today after the news was announced, but I will call him or drop him a text later.
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Hide Ad“I think his mobile will explode so he doesn’t need me as the 57th message but I’ll do it when the storm has calmed down a bit. We still have a really good relationship and my fingers are crossed for him.”