Gary Lineker was left chuckling at the German response to 's appointment with England. The former Chelsea manager took over from Gareth Southgate as the Three Lions' boss last October.

Tuchel, only the third foreign manager in England's history and the first since Fabio Capello's departure in 2012, certainly raised eyebrows in the football world with his appointment. Yet, the 51-year-old has kicked off his England tenure on a high note, securing wins against Albania and Latvia in the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Three Lions are set to return to the pitch this Saturday, facing Andorra in Barcelona.

While some fans were thrilled with the decision to bring in a manager of Tuchel's calibre, there was also backlash - notably from Harry Redknapp, who expressed disappointment that the FA didn't opt for an Englishman to helm the national team.

Keen to gauge Germany's reaction to their compatriot now leading England, invited German journalist Raphael Honigstein onto an episode of The Rest Is Football shortly after Tuchel's appointment was announced.

The historic football rivalry between Germany and England simmered as probed the Munich-born journalist on the reaction in Germany to one of their countrymen managing England. "Rafa, in Germany, what are they saying? A German coach managing England - what are they saying? I'll be fascinated to know," asked Lineker.

Honigstein then responded: "Well so far I haven't really seen any big think pieces or big opinions, I think it's just very matter of fact - 'Hooray there's another German manager in a top position.'

"That reflects well on German football, it reflects well on German coaching. It's England and Wembley for places which is really seen as something which is sacred and a hallowed turf and so on. And I think people, by large, are just sort of proud that there is a German at the helm of this storied football nation. I think that is the grounds of opinion.

"When it goes towards tournaments - and god forbid we play each other in the knockouts, it goes to penalties - I don't know what's going to happen."

The banter continued as Lineker jested about the inevitable outcome if the two were to clash in a final, laughingly remarking: "And in the end, the German always wins - not the Germans."

Despite the long-standing competition, Honigstein suggested an absence of animosity from Germans towards English football, while lightheartedly mocking England's lengthy drought in international triumphs. "There is no real dislike towards England as a football nation," he added.

"If anything, I think it's sort of a mild, positive attitude. We look up to England, we like English football, we sometimes make fun of them when they don't win - which happens not so frequently any more, they win a little too much for my taste.

"It's much more good-natured I would say from our perspective - then there's more sort of real animosity for example that we have with the Italians and the Dutch."

The journalist also joked that the rivalry with England was milder, partly because of their lack of major trophies in recent decades, saying: "England is a much milder rivalry, and of course, it's also easier to have good relations with a nation that doesn't win anything. So that's helped in the last sixty-odd years."

Lineker was left grinning at the journalist's cheeky remark, before responding: "Well let's hope that a German can change that."