Thomas Tuchel arrived in West London on January 26th, 2021. For a coach arriving halfway though a difficult season, and taking his first managerial job in England, the message was to have patience. To allow him to settle, adapt to the rigours of the Premier League, to have a full pre-season the following campaign and then to go from there.
However, as he has demonstrated throughout his managerial career, Thomas Tuchel had different ideas. He would go on to become the first-ever manager to reach consecutive Champions League finals with two different clubs, having lost to Bayern Munich while in charge of Paris Saint Germain the previous season.
With Chelsea, he would go one better, beating Premier League rivals Manchester City in the final thanks to a Kai Havertz goal. This was followed up with victory in the UEFA Super Cup final, making for a blistering start from the German coach. His start at the club will have the Chelsea faithful keeping a close eye on Premier League Soccer Odds with further success potentially on its way. But how did Thomas Tuchel become the manager he is today? Well, let’s find out…
Early Days
Tuchel’s playing career was cut short at the age of 24, after suffering a knee cartilage injury. Following his retirement, Tuchel still felt he had a lot to offer within the game of football and quickly went into coaching. He began his first steps into management by becoming a youth team coach at VIB Stuttgart.
He led the under 19 side to the Bundesliga title in the 2004/05 campaign, however, the club grew tired of Tuchel’s demanding personality and chose not to renew his contract. While it may have appeared that Tuchel was a difficult character to deal with, it was his self-belief and extremely high standards that would pay dividends in the end.
The First Big Step
After a brief stint as the youth team coordinator at FC Augsburg, he would be appointed as the first team coach in 2007. Having made a big impression in this role, a number of German clubs were left impressed by Tuchel’s tactical knowledge. Based on this, he was appointed by the Bundesliga side Mainz 05 in 2009. A record of 72 wins in 182 games earned Tuchel the Borussia Dortmund job, where he would take over from his fellow countryman Jürgen Klopp.
Despite ending with public disagreements between the club’s hierarchy and Tuchel, it was clear that the young coach had what it took to succeed at the highest level. This potential turned into reality when following his departure from Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain turned to Tuchel in their attempt to finally achieve their dream of winning the Champions League.
Coming of Age
Life in Paris started well. Tuchel won the Trophée des Champions in his first game in charge, defeating rivals AS Monaco 4-0. He would start the league campaign by recording fourteen consecutive victories, breaking the previous record of eleven, which caught the attention of the footballing world. Tuchel would bring PSG to the Champions League final in 2020, their first European final since 1997. Unfortunately, his side would suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich, the club he turned down in order to take the manager’s job at PSG.
Despite this, it was clear that Tuchel was an elite manager, one who would go on to great things at a certain point. Once again, Tuchel left a club marred by a fractured relationship with the club’s board. He departed PSG with the best win percentage in Ligue 1 history (75.6%) and the highest average of points per game (2.37).
It took Tuchel less than half a season to achieve Champions Glory with Chelsea, but in essence, it was this long journey that allowed him to achieve the perfect balance. So here’s to you, our very own Thomas Tuchel.
