LONDON: Thomas Tuchel needs to win the World Cup next year to prove the English Football Association’s (FA) decision to appoint him as England manager was the right one, says Harry Redknapp.
The German becomes the third foreign head coach to take charge of England after succeeding Gareth Southgate last year. Tuchel will make his debut against Albania at Wembley on Wednesday.
Former West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur boss Redknapp said Tuchel, who was given an 18-month contract, was not his first choice but he inherited a squad the world had been dreaming of.
“It’s an awkward situation actually. I heard (former Arsenal goalkeeper) Jens Lehmann this morning saying, can you imagine Germany having a manager from England? It’s impossible.
“When we had (Italian manager Fabio) Capello, he had a lot of success, Champions League, Milan, everywhere he was. He was an icon. Tuchel was here, quite good,” Redknapp said.
Tuchel, 51, won the league title with Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League with Chelsea and the Bundesliga at Bayern Munich, but this is his first job with the national team.
England’s World Cup qualifying campaign begins against Albania before they host Latvia on Monday and for Redknapp it is a small test for Tuchel.
“It’s hard to judge him now. He picked a squad to play against two weak teams. I’m not interested in watching that match.
“What do we get from watching us beat Latvia 5-0 or 6-0? What can we learn about the players? It’s tough, until we’re in the competition.
“He has to win something to be considered successful. Gareth has brought us this far. He has the opportunity, a great squad, a group of talented players.
“You wouldn’t trade him for anyone. So he has everything to win trophies,” he said.
England also face Andorra and Serbia in Group K.
Southgate led England to two Euro finals and the World Cup semi-finals but failed to win any trophies.
Redknapp, who has often missed out on the chance to coach England, said he would prefer an English coach for the job, but felt only Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was currently qualified.
“I only support English operators, myself. If there is no English operator, it means there is something wrong somewhere.
“It’s not because of the coaching system, because they can get a license. The FA can’t decide who coaches the club, that’s the owner’s decision.
“All the owners are from outside. When they come in, they also want operators from outside,” he added.