Thomas Tuchel hopes he can win over critics as England manager

Thomas Tuchel said England can “free ourselves from history” and work to “make our dream come true” at the 2026 World Cup following his appointment as head coach. German Tuchel, 51, was confirmed as the next Three Lions boss on Wednesday and will officially take charge on 1 January after signing an 18-month contract.

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Thomas Tuchel set to be named as new England manager

Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become England’s manager after talks with the Football Association ­accelerated on Tuesday. The 51-year-old will be the third foreign manager of the men’s team and the first from Germany. The FA has had Tuchel on its shortlist for finding Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor that also included Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and the interim manager, Lee Carsley, among others.

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Ireland left to rue errors in loss to Greece

Ireland were left to rue a controversial early penalty decision as their dismal run against Greece continued in Piraeus. Evan Ferguson was clearly fouled by Lazarus Rota as he looked poised to punish an fourth-minute Greek blunder but there was no VAR check and their conquerors scored second half goals through Tasos Bakasetas and Petros Mantalos to stay top of the UEFA Nations League table.

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Txiki Begiristain to leave role as director of football at Man City

Txiki Begiristain will step down as Manchester City’s director of football at the end of the season with Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana replacing Pep Guardiola’s trusted advisor, the Premier League champions said Saturday. Begiristain joined City in 2012 after working in the same role at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010. The Spaniard was widely credited with convincing his former Barcelona team-mate Guardiola to become City manager in 2016.

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Brady bags winner as Ireland defeat Finland

Robbie Brady fired home an 88th-minute winner as the Republic of Ireland picked up their first victory under Heimir Hallgrimsson with a 2-1 win in Finland. Finland were gifted a first-half opener when Irish captain Nathan Collins underhit a back pass, which allowed Joel Pohjanpalo to race through and slot past Caoimhin Kelleher. However a second half fightback saw Liam Scales and Brady score to power Ireland to a crucial victory.

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