THE appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager of the England men’s team has caused a stir.
It has been criticised as an abandonment of English football identity. A betrayal of St George and the English DNA forged at his football Park in Staffordshire.
Such criticism forgets how football developed as a global game in the first place, and national team football has always been open to positive international influences and the sharing of ideas beyond borders.
Joao Pedro’s emotional goals against Fluminense captured the magic of an international club competition. But even as fans bring colour and passion, the Club World Cup’s deeper issues loom large, writes JAMES NALTON
STEVEN ANDREW welcomes a fine introduction to FC United of Manchester, the team set up in opposition to Manchester United



