Thomas Tuchel has expanded his England backroom staff with three new appointments, including former Chelsea goalkeeper Henrique Hilario – though has yet to appoint an ethnic minority coach despite the FA’s wishes.
The German manager, who officially began his role on Thursday, has brought in Hilario as goalkeeper coach alongside performance coach Nicolas Mayer and analyst James Melbourne.
Hilario, who played for Chelsea between 2006 and 2014 before returning as a coach, joins the national team setup as Tuchel begins preparations for March’s qualifying matches.
The appointments follow Tuchel’s earlier selection of Anthony Barry as his assistant manager, who previously worked with him at both Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff is starting to take shape
PA
Frenchman Mayer, who joins as performance coach, has a history of collaboration with Tuchel, having first worked together at Bayern Munich before reuniting at the German club.
Melbourne brings extensive experience from Chelsea, where he has served as chief analyst for the past decade, having been with the club for 20 years.
The Football Association has indicated that additional coaching appointments will be confirmed in due course.
These appointments come as interim boss Lee Carsley and his staff return to their roles with the under-21 squad.
Despite these appointments, Tuchel is yet to name a black or minority ethnic (BME) coach as part of the Football Association’s diversity initiative.
The absence of a BME coach appointment could be viewed as a setback to the FA’s elite coaching placement programme.
The FA’s diversity push remains a key focus as England’s new manager continues to shape his backroom staff.
Tuchel has confirmed he will be based in London, and was present to watch Tottenham play Newcastle in north London and then made the trip down south to watch Brighton host Arsenal.
Thomas Tuchel has yet to appoint an ‘ethnic minority coach’ despite the FA’s insistence
Reuters
“Of course we will be very regularly in St George’s Park because this is where our base is and this is where we want to create an atmosphere,” Tuchel said.
The England manager emphasised plans to engage with FA staff at the national football centre.
He also outlined his intention to watch matches extensively from January onwards, stating: “I want to see the matches live, I will speak to the players – but also not interfere too much because they are players of the clubs.”
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Former Chelsea coach Anthony Barry is among those to be appointed to Thomas Tuchel’s staff
PA
Tuchel watched as Spurs lost to Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a 2-1 defeat for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
He did see English talent on show, though, with Dominic Solanke and Anthony Gordon getting on the scoresheet.
The German coach jetted off before full-time to make it to the Amex Stadium, where 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring for Arsenal.
The youngster is one of England’s top young talents coming through and Mikel Arteta is already a huge fan.
Post comments (0)