Thomas Tuchel’s love for English football began in the garden of his family home in Krumbach, Bavaria, when he used to re-enact great European matches as a young boy.
His imagination was captured by one of London’s most famous clubs — although not the one his new employers would have preferred.
After his Borussia Dortmund side had sealed progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League at the expense of Tottenham in March 2016, Tuchel sat in the media suite at the old White Hart Lane and revealed his fondness for Spurs.
Thomas Tuchel will need to form positive relationships with the people in power at Chelsea
‘As a little kid, in my garden, when I played football I was always playing as a team from the Bundesliga but here was one game when I played as Tottenham Hotspur because I liked the name so much,’ he said. ‘I didn’t have a picture and I didn’t know they played in London so to play them in two legs was very special.’
Tuchel delivered those words in excellent English, so he should have no trouble communicating his message at Chelsea.
How he does — both to players and to owner Roman Abramovich — is likely to define whether his time at Stamford Bridge will be a success.
Unlike Frank Lampard, the 47-year-old made little impression as a player. Most of his time was spent as a centre half for SSV Ulm, in Germany’s regional leagues, before a knee injury cut short his career aged 25.
As a coach, however, his credentials are far more impressive. Tuchel is a football obsessive: those who know him say he thinks about the game 24/7 and is constantly analysing players, opponents and tactics.
Though he lacks Jurgen Klopp’s larger-than-life character, Tuchel shares his fellow German’s self-confidence and abrasive, emotional personality. On the field, he can operate multiple formations and improve players.
Tuchel’s relationship with PSG sporting director Leonardo deteriorated over recruitment
It will be interesting to see if fitness coach Rainer Schrey, who Tuchel had on his staff at Dortmund and PSG, joins him in west London. Schrey was known as ‘the drill sergeant’ at Dortmund due to the intensity of his sessions. Tuchel also places great faith in Zsolt Low, his PSG assistant, and video analyst Benjamin Weber.
Tuchel really started to catch the eye in the 2010-11 campaign when he led Mainz, usually a mid-ranking club, to the Europa League.
He went on to bigger jobs at Borussia Dortmund — where he succeeded Jurgen Klopp in 2015 and won the German Cup — and then at Paris Saint-Germain, where Tuchel claimed four major trophies and reached the Champions League final last season.
Tuchel succeeded Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund in 2015 and won the German Cup
Tuchel also built strong relationships with his players: at Dortmund, he brought the best from Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and also earned the trust of Neymar and Angel Di Maria in Paris, though there were clashes with Kylian Mbappe, notably when the French superstar was substituted.
Thiago Silva was another key man for Tuchel’s PSG and should be an early ally at Chelsea along with Christian Pulisic, who played for him at Dortmund.
But at clubs like Dortmund and PSG, a coach is not judged solely by his work on the training ground. He needs to form positive, durable relationships with the people in power, and this has not always been Tuchel’s strongest suit.
Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke admitted Tuchel was ‘difficult’ to deal with
‘We broke up because it just didn’t fit,’ said Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke last November, discussing Tuchel’s departure in 2017 after two seasons at the helm. ‘Thomas is a difficult person, as you can see in Paris, but a fantastic coach. I don’t see the big mistake there.’
There was similar tension with transfer chief Sven Mislintat, who left for Arsenal in December 2017.
In Paris, Tuchel’s relationship with sporting director Leonardo deteriorated when they disagreed over recruitment. A Dortmund insider remarked: ‘He will always clash with authority at some point. It’s just a question of when.’
At a politically-charged club like Chelsea, Tuchel’s ability to work effectively with key director Marina Granovskaia will be as important as whether he can get a tune from Kai Havertz and Timo Werner. With that in mind, it is safe to assume he will keep his thoughts on Tottenham to himself.
