Despite BVB row: Watzke wanted Tuchel as Germany boss | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund and Thomas Tuchel parted ways on bad terms in 2017. Nevertheless, years later BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke wanted to make the current England coach Germany’s national team manager.

Hans-Joachim Watzke would have liked to see Thomas Tuchel become Germany’s new national team manager after the disappointing performance of the German national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The DFB vice president revealed this on Sky’s program “Meine Geschichte”. However, no coaching change took place at the time.

Under Hansi Flick, Germany had already been eliminated in the group stage. For Watzke, this was apparently reason enough to think about possible consequences. Asked whether Tuchel had been an option for him at the time, the long-time BVB boss said: “I definitely had the idea.” He then described his thoughts after the early World Cup exit: “We were eliminated pretty miserably in Qatar. And then? Then of course you lie awake for a night or two thinking about what could happen next.”

However, he did not have much influence over the coaching question. In the end, the DFB decided to continue backing Flick. “It’s not my decision who becomes national team manager. But the basic attitude was simply: we’ll carry on with Hansi Flick,” Watzke explained. He said he had already feared at the time that the situation after the World Cup could become difficult.

Watzke praises Tuchel despite BVB dispute

Watzke’s line of thought is also remarkable because of his shared past with Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund. During Tuchel’s time at BVB, the two had serious differences. In 2017, their paths finally diverged. A key factor was also the handling of the bomb attack on the Dortmund team bus in April of that same year.

Photo: IMAGO

Despite the conflict at the time, Watzke still rates Tuchel’s sporting abilities very highly. “I still consider Tuchel an excellent coach,” the 67-year-old emphasized. He also spoke positively about the former Dortmund coach to decision-makers in England: “You can do it blindly. You’ll be getting one of the best coaches.”

Flick initially remained national team manager after the World Cup, but had to leave his post in September 2023. Tuchel is now working as head coach of the England national team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.