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Thomas Tuchel's stock seems to have meteorically risen after his Champions League success with Chelsea in the 2020-21 season. However, the night of the final in Portugal was the culmination of a decade of hard work and growth across the German, French and now English top divisions.
As a former player who was forced to end his career early, Tuchel's drive and intelligence have seen him carve a rare career as a specialist coach. He is known for tactical ingenuity and instilling a relentless work ethic. Resultantly, he has overseen some phenomenal results during his time in the hotseat. Here, we look at Thomas Tuchel's five most iconic games that have shaped his career.
#5 Mainz vs Bayern Munich, 2-1, Bundesliga, 2009-2010
Tuchel was unexpectedly thrust to the forefront of top flight management at Mainz at the start of the 2010-11 season. His first ever top flight game was a massive upset victory over Louis Van Gaal's Bayern Munich.
Eventual champions Bayern Munich were shocked by a 2-1 victory for Tuchel's side after goals from Andreas Ivanschitz and Aristide Bance. The match was a testament to the coach's belief and determination. Tuchel's meticulous planning involved a tactical tweak to play a midfield diamond to force Bayern out wide. This inevitably left the Bavarians' dangerous attack impotent on the night.
At Mainz, despite having vastly inferior technical players, Tuchel masterminded a system of collective pressing and close-linked interplay to push their opponents out wide and overload them. The "gegenpressing" philosophy was on full display as pressure led to positional errors and in turn to chances at goal.
Turning up at the mighty Allianz Arena and defeating Bayern Munich in his first game in charge was a prodigious start for the then 37-year-old.
#4 Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich, 3-2, DFB Pokal 2016-17
Another big Bayern victory, this time for the famous Borussia Dortmund. Tuchel took the step up to Germany's second biggest club job, as did his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, and did not fail to deliver.
His two-year spell, though not yielding a league title, was immensely successful and was punctuated by quick tempo and precision play. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmanne Dembele and Julian Weigl all became star names under Tuchel.
Former player Gonzalo Castro revealed a glimpse into Tuchel's ideology by saying:
"Off the ball, we tried to condense the centre and force the opponent wide, where it’s harder to score. That was key for Tuchel, as he didn’t want us to concede centrally. He organised everything precisely, down to the last millimetre in training."
The 2016-17 DFB Pokal semi-final stands out for Dortmund's tenacity in fighting back from 2-1 at the Allianz Arena. The visitors went 1-0 up thanks to Marco Reus, but Javi Martinez and Mats Hummels struck to hand Bayern the lead at half-time.
Dortmund went on to win 3-2, with Dembele and Aubameyang capitalizing on rare Bayern frailty. It was a victory that Tuchel himself described as "crazy," as Dortmund went on to reach the finals and eventually win the DFB-Pokal. It remains the only major German trophy of Tuchel's career.
#3 Paris Saint Germain vs. Real Madrid, 3-0, Champions League, 2019-20
Thomas Tuchel's legacy at Paris Saint-Germain is still up for debate. He was just one win short of delivering the Champions League trophy to the club's desperate ownership. However, PSG lost the 2019-20 Champions League final to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel's time at PSG is very much under-appreciated. When he was sacked by the French club, he had the best win percentage of any manager ever in the French top division.
One of the brightest games where Tuchel proved his worth for PSG was an emphatic 3-0 victory over Real Madrid. The Parisians' brilliant victory came in the 2019-20 Champions League group stage.
With Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both out, up stepped PSG's (envious) reserves to deliver an emphatic and clinical performance. Former Real Madrid man Angel di Maria shone with a brace as a jubilant Paris crowd celebrated a huge European scalp.
#2 Paris Saint Germain vs. Manchester United, 1-3 Champions League, 2019
It might be unfair to include a defeat as one of Tuchel's definitive games. But the value of the lesson learned when Paris Saint-Germain fell to a late, late Marcus Rashford penalty has not been lost on the German coach.
PSG came into the game as overwhelming favorites, having registered a comfortable 2-0 victory at Old Trafford in the first leg. Manchester United, however, shockingly overturned the deficit via a Romelu Lukaku double and a controversial VAR call at the death.
The match was up there with Tuchel's remarkable 4-3 loss versus Liverpool as Dortmund coach in the 2016 Europa League final. The demoralizing defeat to United is perhaps responsible for Tuchel's shift towards a pragmatic and more foundational style of football. This change has now earned him plaudits and praise at Chelsea and across Europe.
#1 Chelsea vs Manchester City, 1-0, Champions League Final, 2020/21
Unexpectedly back in the finals of the Champions League with a different club, Tuchel's Chelsea team upset Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in Lisbon. The Blues won a tight contest 1-0, with Kai Havertz scoring the lone goal.
In the build-up to this fixture, Manchester City and Chelsea played each other twice, only for Tuchel to outwit an overcomplicated Guardiola. Having gone with a single and double pivot in the prior defeats, Guardiola bizarrely opted to go with no clear defensive midfielder in the Champions League final. This left Chelsea with many clear counter-attacking opportunities that led to their second ever Champions League title.
The victory announced Tuchel as one of the sport's premier coaches, culminating in a rise in reputation. That rise looks set to continue as Chelsea chase domestic glory this season.
