In the United States, we just celebrated Halloween, a night dedicated to scares about mysterious creatures lurking around us. It is appropriate because once again, our former manager Thomas Tuchel is serving as a managerial boogeyman.
There is no worse position for a manager than to be the popular out of work manager. The positive is that any opening for a major position is available to you; once you have a reputation as a superstar manager fans clamor for you to fill their vacancy. This has been the case for Tuchel, who has been linked to the obvious (Bayern) and the more extreme (U.S. national team?). The downside is, however, that your baggage for why you are a superstar manager who is out of work carries with you. As we know with Tuchel, two negatives to his time with Dortmund were his side’s defensive frailties and his inability to work with management. It is the latter that likely has been most harmful to him – many of the major managerial openings in the past two months have been either in small clubs or clubs with strong Boards.
In abstract, Thomas Tuchel should have been hired by now and he is again linked to a major club with an opening. Everton is the latest vacancy where Tuchel is listed as a “favourite” or “frontrunner”, but how truthful this is for all except the Board and candidates is unknown. What is not unknown is that he would be a poor fit for the position. Everton have just moved away from a superstar manager (remember when Koeman was mentioned seriously as the next Barcelona manager) and have seen their place in the table fall well below a club with their talent should be. Bringing in a manager with no experience in the Premier League with a reputation for – to use an American saying – “my way or the highway” thinking may win some tactical battles but in the long run probably will be unable to unite the various Everton factions together.
For someone like Tuchel, what are the right managerial positions that are good fits? For his next move, he may want to look someone with a similar profile. Ralf Rangnick was and is an innovator in German football, creating the tactical atmosphere that allowed Tuchel to excel. Just like the younger manager, however, Rangnick was and is incredibly confident in his abilities, which meant that despite proving success with his then-unorthodox style he was asked to manage Hoffenheim in 2006 despite proven success with Schalke, and Hannover before that. For Tuchel, this may be the wiser path. Instead of pining for the highest profile positions, earn a little humility by accepting a challenge at a relegation challenged or second division side, then build them up to a top tier Bundesliga club. Once he shows he can maintain his style and personality while “playing well with others”, his career will be immeasurably helped more than grabbing the highest profile position available.