‘Waste of time’ - Thomas Tuchel warned he has ‘done nothing’ so far as Michael Owen reacts to England contract extension call & explains what World Cup ‘par’ looks like

Ex-Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel officially took charge of England in January 2025 - as he agreed to fill the warmest of coaching hot-seats. He stepped into the void that had been created by Sir Gareth Southgate’s decision to step down in wake of a second European Championship final defeat.

Tuchel’s track record - which includes domestic titles and a Champions League crown - marked him out as the winner that a success-starved nation have been crying out for. Some 60 years have passed since the legends of 1966 hoisted the World Cup trophy aloft at Wembley.

England are clinging to the hope that Tuchel can be the man to bring football “home”, with relatively serene progress having been made through his tenure so far. No goals were conceded when booking tickets to the 2026 World Cup - with maximum points being picked up from eight fixtures.

Having initially signed an 18-month deal, taking in one major tournament, the Football Association has handed out fresh terms that will include a home Euros in 2028. Have they jumped the gun slightly there?

Responding to that question, legendary former Three Lions striker Owen - speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with England World Cup odds - said: “I must admit, I was surprised. I like Thomas Tuchel, I think he's a very good manager. You probably know my feelings on the England manager's job - I think he should be an English person, full stop. But, I was surprised that he got an extension.

“I think it's nice to show commitment before a big tournament, but we haven't even had a tournament with him yet. He's done nothing so far that would suggest, ‘oh my word, this is fantastic’.

“Everybody qualifies. We could close our eyes and qualify through these waste of time qualifying groups. We win every single game and never even concede a goal. It's just a pointless exercise, really. It's not like he's done anything above and beyond what we've expected so far. So to reward him already, it was a bit of a surprise.”

Tuchel must now justify the faith that has been shown in him. Overseeing World Cup glory would represent the ultimate return on that investment, cementing icon status in the process, but things could just as easily unravel.

Pressed on whether Tuchel would - regardless of the paperwork he has penned - be under pressure if England failed to make it to at least the last eight on North American soil this summer, Owen said: “If we go out in the group stage or the next round… unless we're playing a top team in the knockout stage and we get knocked out before the quarter-finals then, yeah, those questions will be asked.

“Obviously a lot depends on how and what and why, but there's going to be questions. If we don't, let's say, reach the quarter-finals - I would have thought par might be the quarter-finals. I would think, if anything less than that, there'll be disappointment and questions asked.”

Tuchel is under no illusions as to how big the challenge is that he faces. The 52-year-old German has been around long enough to know that he is in the results business and that anything less than tangible success will likely be considered a failure.

He will, having assembled a star-studded cast of 26 elite performers, be taking a first tentative step towards potential World Cup glory on June 17 when England get their campaign up and running against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.]