Thomas Tuchel is a German professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
46 Facts About Thomas Tuchel
2.
Thomas Tuchel departed Mainz in 2014 and was appointed at fellow Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in 2015 and won the DFB-Pokal before being dismissed in 2017.
3.
Thomas Tuchel was hired by French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 and won two league titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to its first UEFA Champions League final.
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Thomas Tuchel was appointed by Chelsea in 2021, where he won the Champions League in his debut season and was named The Best FIFA Football Coach.
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Thomas Tuchel was dismissed as manager in 2022, and was appointed at Bayern Munich in 2023.
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Thomas Tuchel moved to the academy at FC Augsburg in 1988 he never appeared for the first team, being released when he turned 19.
7.
Thomas Tuchel began his coaching career in 2000, hired by Ralf Rangnick as youth team coach at VfB Stuttgart, where he aided in the development of future first team players, namely Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
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Thomas Tuchel left after that season, as the club tired of his personality and chose not to renew his contract.
9.
In 2005, Thomas Tuchel returned to Augsburg, with club sporting director Andreas Rettig noting the club's admiration of Thomas Tuchel's tactical discipline led to him being appointed youth team coordinator.
10.
Thomas Tuchel was hired despite lacking a UEFA Pro Licence, which he gained in a six-and-a-half month course in Cologne under Erich Rutemoller.
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Thomas Tuchel garnered a reputation for his combustibility towards referees during games, often receiving fines from the Bavarian Football Association as a result.
12.
An initial disciplinarian, Thomas Tuchel reportedly forbade his players to leave the canteen while others were still eating, deeming it ill-mannered.
13.
Mainz suffered an early exit in the Europa League, and ended the season with 39 points, the lowest total during Thomas Tuchel's spell at the club.
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Thomas Tuchel addressed the issue of star players who were in a dilemma between staying and leaving, rapidly convincing them that Dortmund could meet their ambitions.
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Dortmund and Thomas Tuchel's approach was to build upon Klopp's foundations, keeping the team's core with shrewd additions.
16.
Thomas Tuchel publicly criticized Watzke after he agreed to UEFA's demand that the club play their Champions League quarter-final first leg match against Monaco on 12 April 2017, one day after the team's bus being bombed.
17.
Thomas Tuchel reportedly expressed discontent over transfer activity, with Watzke sanctioning the departures of Hummels, Gundogan, and Mkhitaryan, despite guarantees they would not leave.
18.
Thomas Tuchel aimed to sign defender Omer Toprak in 2016, a move allegedly blocked by Watzke and chief scout Sven Mislintat, the latter of whom was effectively banished from the training ground after an argument with Thomas Tuchel.
19.
In May 2018, Thomas Tuchel signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, replacing Unai Emery.
20.
Thomas Tuchel rejected an offer of Bayern Munich to join the club as a head coach.
21.
In January 2019, Thomas Tuchel was eliminated from his first competition at PSG, falling to Guingamp on 9 January, in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue.
22.
Notably, the latter game contained controversy, as Thomas Tuchel was seen to be in a heated conversation with Mbappe following his substitution.
23.
Thomas Tuchel departed Paris Saint-Germain with a record of 95 wins, 13 draws, and 19 defeats in 127 games, with the best win percentage in Ligue 1 history and the highest average of points per game.
24.
On 26 January 2021, Thomas Tuchel signed an 18-month contract with Premier League club Chelsea, replacing Frank Lampard.
25.
Thomas Tuchel became the first German to be appointed as head coach of the club.
26.
Thomas Tuchel took charge of his first match the following day, a goalless draw at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a match that set the record for most possession and passes completed for a manager's first Premier League game.
27.
Thomas Tuchel signed Saul Niguez on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid on deadline day.
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Thomas Tuchel reaffirmed his commitment to the club despite interest from Manchester United and Barcelona.
29.
The FA stated that Thomas Tuchel's comments had constituted improper conduct and that they "imply bias, question the integrity of the match referee, and bring the game into disrepute".
30.
Sources connected with Chelsea claimed Thomas Tuchel was inconsistent regarding transfers, expressing both reluctance and support towards potential moves for Gabriel Jesus, Edson Alvarez, Romeo Lavia, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
31.
On 24 March 2023, Thomas Tuchel was announced as the new head coach at Bayern Munich, replacing his former player Julian Nagelsmann, who was dismissed.
32.
Thomas Tuchel is known for his tactical knowledge and flexibility as well as his implementation of innovative training methods.
33.
Thomas Tuchel discussed tactics with Guardiola for four hours in Munich.
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Thomas Tuchel has borrowed training methods from other sports, including archery and kick-boxing; he once made the team spend close to a month training with a handball team.
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Thomas Tuchel is known as an innovator in the game, and often compared to Guardiola.
36.
An initial disciplinarian, Thomas Tuchel implemented bans on eating refined carbohydrates, replacing it with wholemeal pasta and light sauces; he changed this approach after being appointed at PSG.
37.
Thomas Tuchel has been noted for his use of man-marking, tasking Herrera to do so on Thiago in the 2020 Champions League final.
38.
At Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel was known for making frequent player alterations in his early tenure; he made 39 changes to the starting lineup in 10 Premier League games between January and March 2021.
39.
Thomas Tuchel used staggered recovery, such as lighter sessions after big games or rest days altogether.
40.
Klopp, his contemporary, commenting on Thomas Tuchel's "exceptional" rise through the ranks remarked, "He's an outstanding coach and an outstanding manager".
41.
Thomas Tuchel attended Simpert-Kraemer-Gymnasium and devised tactical strategies in PE volleyball.
42.
Thomas Tuchel graduated from Baden-Wurttemberg Cooperative State University with a degree in business administration, and worked as a bartender at the Radio Bar in Stuttgart while a student.
43.
Thomas Tuchel married his wife Sissi in 2009, with whom he has two daughters.
44.
Thomas Tuchel is a polyglot, speaking German, French, English, and Italian.
45.
Thomas Tuchel describes himself as an "imperfect vegetarian" and consumes minimal amounts of alcohol.
46.
Thomas Tuchel considers himself an avid reader, namely of crime thriller novels and books about architecture and design, and is a fan of tennis, rock music, and hip hop.