I heard Thomas Tuchel talk like a Manchester United manager

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Manchester United might not have enjoyed the domestic dominance of Bayern Munich over the last decade or so, but the two clubs have one thing in common: they dominate the discourse around football in England and Germany respectively.

United continue to be catnip for phone-ins, column inches and pundit shows despite failing to even challenge for a Premier League title since 2013. No other English club is the focus of quite so much attention and the media landscape is dominated by United, in part because of the high number of successful Old Trafford greats who now do punditry or co-commentary.

That is the case once again this season. After just three wins in the opening 11 games, United are the only story in town, despite languishing in 14th in the Premier League table, resigned to another season of making up ground and out of the picture at the top by the first week of October.

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The debate around Erik ten Hag's future is the top story in the sport right now. United sell and so do Bayern. Even in a decade of unparalleled success the noise in Munich is unrelenting. Bayern's list of grandees inside the club and the number of legends passing comment on the outside makes it a demanding place to work, as Thomas Tuchel has found out, winding down his days in Bavaria by engaging in a war of words with honourary president Uli Hoeness.

In Manchester, Ten Hag has been stung by the same criticism at times. He has started getting feisty in his response to pundits, notably Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer, and even had a pop at some of the former United players in the media towards the end of last season, reminding some that they went through a rebuilding phase during the Sir Alex Ferguson era as well.

Ten Hag survived by the skin of his teeth in the summer, victory in the FA Cup final granting him a reprieve he probably hadn't earned. Tuchel, who had made it clear he was leaving Bayern as their period of domestic dominance came to an end, was interviewed for the job but Ineos opted to stick rather than twist.

That already looks like a mistake and Ten Hag is back in a cycle of disappointing results, chaotic performance and no obvious path to improvement. United's leadership team meet in London on Tuesday and while draws against Porto and Aston Villa aren't disastrous, the pattern is clear and a change can't be ruled out.

Tuchel remains unemployed and that makes him a leading candidate to take on the role. Just over a year ago, these two clubs met in Munich, with Bayern winning a thrilling game 4-3 in the Allianz Arena, it was the kind of game and scoreline that has become familiar to Ten Hag's United. Looking back now though, it was the day before that game that feels particularly illuminating.

Anyone who has been in a Tuchel press conference will be aware of what an exceptional communicator he can be. It is an environment in which he is far more comfortable than Ten Hag and at a time when the first signs of pressure were starting to grow around the Dutchman, it was his opposite number who so eloquently outlined the challenge that comes with managing a club like United.

"I felt with Manchester United there was always a lot of noise, a lot of pundits are ex-players from Manchester United, you have this legacy from Sir Alex Ferguson which creates a lot of pressure, a lot of expectation around Manchester United," said Tuchel.

"It tells you you work at a big club, big expectation, big success. All of us here in Bayern and my colleagues at Manchester United want to achieve the same things. I would not say it's an advantage for us, it's common that little things become bigger than at other clubs or the talking about it is noisy. I think within, I can only assume they coach in an environment where players grow and reach their top level. That's what we're trying to do - instill rules and a winning culture.

“It's evident to see if I watch Manchester United play. The results maybe don't speak the same language but the team is full of quality and the club has a winning culture."

Ten Hag would almost certainly agree with that and it is an answer that suggests Tuchel knows exactly what it takes to manage United. He has experienced similar in Munich and having managed Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea as well, his CV contains plenty of elite clubs with significant noise around them.

Any concerns at United would focus on the German's combustible character and a relatively underwhelming spell at Bayern. His time at those clubs has often seen him fall out with senior management and with Ineos looking to build a collaborative football structure, Tuchel would clearly be a gamble.

At Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich he has never stayed at a club for more than 127 matches (PSG). His time at Bayern ended after just 15 months and just over 60 games in charge. That doesn't suggest longevity and if things go awry he could easily fall out with senior figures at United and those pundits he identified as creating noise around the club.

But if Ineos do opt for change in the dugout, having come so close to doing so just a matter of months ago, of all the candidates mentioned Tuchel has the most glittering CV and the relevant experience of managing a club of this size. He proved that in September 2023.

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