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Thomas Tuchel: Why the trainer at PSG is under so much pressure

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eIt’s a gray February morning in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The training was scheduled for 11 a.m. At 11.11 a.m. the first professional from Paris Saint-Germain trots leisurely onto the court. The colleagues gradually trot after them. Thomas Tuchel has been standing there for almost a quarter of an hour on the wonderfully maintained square, right next to a construction site of the Ministry of Defense. He obviously doesn’t like the weather either. He is wearing a white hat, pulled deep over his face. But the trainer is anything but unwilling. On the contrary. He can’t wait to get started.

And as long as no player is in sight, his assistants have to serve. Waving his arms wildly, Tuchel talks to them, apparently explaining game forms and training content.

Since summer 2018, the Schwabe has been a trainer at the new rich club from the suburb of the French metropolis. In the eyes of all experts, the Champions League round of 16 against his former club Borussia Dortmund, from which he left Zoff with managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke, decides whether he can continue. But Tuchel looks extremely motivated these days. Beat Dortmund, make a statement in the Champions League and remain a PSG trainer, that’s his motivation.

“Tuchel is the worst trainer”

When the 46-year-old gives a press conference shortly after the training session, his problem is summarized to the right below him in eleven dreamy, but in truth merciless letters. “Dream Bigger” is there. Dream bigger. Since the investor group Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG, the club should reach for the stars. The Qatari gave PSG money and stars. With the fine print, there was pressure and impatience on top of it.

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Under pressure: Thomas Tuchel has many critics in Paris

Credit: dpa / Bernat Armangue

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“The bosses are waiting for the final. And the prerequisites are there, ”says Luis Fernandez. The French football icon with the strict look was European champion in 1984, player and two coaches at PSG and is now a plain-speaking TV expert.

“In terms of last season’s results, Tuchel is the worst coach since Qatar’s entry,” he told the German press agency, not counting Tuchel among the top international coaches: “He is still far from the level of Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti. “

The Champions League is above everything

Immediately after taking office, President Nasser Al-Khelaifi announced in 2011 that he wanted to win the Champions League in five years. It’s been nine years now, and they weren’t even in the semi-finals. Of course, Tuchel also has to become a master. But that is at most a basic requirement. Like a coaching license. “This time he must at least reach the semi-finals,” says “L’Equipe” reporter Arnaud Hermant, who has been reporting on the club every day for 18 years: “Otherwise he won’t be able to remain a coach.”

The fact that many Tuchel no longer believe this is mainly due to last year’s round of 16. After a 2-0 win in Manchester, PSG was eliminated in the second leg by a 1-3 draw at home. Against a United that is a shadow of his glorious days and was also severely injured that day.

“It definitely left its mark,” says Fernandez. “As a result, he lost all credit,” says Polo Breitner, who published a biography titled “L’énigme Tuchel” (“The Riddle of Tuchel”): “I believe that he will be gone immediately if he goes against Dortmund eliminated. “

Tuchel’s call rushed ahead of him

Hermant also sees a sticking point in the Manchester bankruptcy, which Tuchel later referred to as a “car accident”. “After that he lost control of the team,” says the journalist, who is unsuspicious with his calm and clear manner of polemical exaggeration. The defeat is due to the fact that Tuchel took the second leg too easily.

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“He didn’t pull the team together in the hotel,” says Hermant: “The players came to the stadium from home two hours before the game. One or the other was even too late. ”Without the right excitement, Paris was the first team in the history of the Champions League to drop out after an away win with a two-goal difference. “And afterwards Tuchel never admitted that it was his fault,” says Hermant.

But Tuchel got the curve again. “Because the players like him,” says Hermant. He did not appear in Paris as a “control freak”, as he was called in Germany. “On the contrary,” says Hermant: “He wants to create closeness after his predecessor Unai Emery knew only work, work, work.” His call from Dortmund, which BVB fueled, had preceded him to Paris. “When he came, we heard that he was a very difficult person,” says Hermant: “But I cannot confirm that. He smiles a lot, has a sense of humor, creates a good atmosphere. ”

Too many special rights for Neymar

However, Tuchel granted his stars too many special rights. Especially Neymar. Also that Tuchel recently wanted to explain to the young star Kylian Mbappé a substitution on the pitch to avoid discontent was out of place. “He didn’t look good,” says Hermant: “He’s the boss. He can change who he wants. He can explain that later in a quiet minute. “

Paris Saint-Germain - Montpellier HSC – –

Undermining authority: Superstar Kylian Mbappe had a heated discussion with Tuchel when he replaced Montpellier

Credit: dpa / Christophe Ena

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Daniel Barsan also reports on the human nature of Tuchel. He accompanied Tuchel as an interpreter for a year. Today the coach gives his press conference in fluent French, he rarely has to ask for terms. “Already after two months he started to answer more and more himself,” says Barsan: “Sometimes I felt a bit like Manuel Neuer: I wasn’t challenged most of the time and suddenly I had to be there.”

Thomas Tuchel and Neymar – –

A lot of speech: Neymar enjoys a special status under Tuchel

Credit: dpa / Thibault Camus

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He did not perceive that as arrogance, on the contrary. “He is highly intelligent and extremely ambitious,” says Barsan: “But also very warm and sensitive.” He also shook hands with the security staff and asked how it was done. “And he campaigned for me to be able to attend the master party,” says Barsan: “And there he suddenly put his master scarf on to me, saying:” You also have your share in it. “

Sagnol disappointed with Tuchel

Tuchel is much more relaxed in Paris, say observers. He not only exudes calm and serenity, but also brought them into the club, says French national coach Didier Deschamps. Although Tuchel still scratches his chin frantically with his right hand when he is very concentrated.

According to Barsan, the fact that he learned the language so quickly was “of course a charm offensive. But for him it was above all a question of respect. “Respect that he now also receives the other way around. Nobody calls him “tufts” anymore. Which is good, because “Les Tuches” is a chaotic cinema family. If the fans call their coach’s name after the announcement of the lineup before games today, the “ch” is the throat that is unusually throaty for the French.

Biographer Breitner – that’s an artist’s name, of course – is extremely disappointed with Tuchel. “Before he came, Willy Sagnol (ex-professional of FC Bayern, d. Red.) Told me: He is a great coach. But he will have a hard time. Because he is German, ”reports Breitner, who works as a Bundesliga expert at the RMC broadcaster:“ Unfortunately, he has not been able to dispel these prejudices to this day. When he came I was thrilled because I appreciate his work. But for me it’s a huge disappointment. ”Also because it doesn’t get the internal proximity to the outside.

There are no fan articles from Tuchel

“He is simply not a man for the people, even if he acted like that in the beginning,” says Breitner: “Jürgen Klopp is Danton, Thomas Tuchel is Robespierre. Maybe Tuchel is the better trainer. But the people love Klopp. Nobody loves Tuchel. “

From Klopp there are scarves, t-shirts and other fan articles in Liverpool. In the PSG fan shop on the Champs-Élysées there are boxer shorts, baby romper and eraser. Nothing about Tuchel. No one has ever asked about it, laughs the seller.

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Still, Tuchel fits PSG, Breitner thinks. “Because he thinks elitist.” The club also does that, especially under the influence of Qatar. “They’re just talking about winning, but they haven’t understood what Paris is. Paris is the Ville-Lumière, the city of light. Paris wants shine, “says Breitner:” This is never just about winning. “

Language talent Tuchel

Hermant meanwhile criticized that the club had set the wrong priorities until recently. “The club has become a very, very large machine. But he disregarded the basic rule of sport: the most important thing is on the court, ”says the journalist. The club now has to win something big ”. Tuchel should take care of that.

Paris Saint-Germain's German coach – –

“The club has to win something big” – Tuchel should take care of that

Source: AFP / LOIC VENANCE

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But somehow PSG lives like in a bubble. The main news is through the club’s own channels. There, Tuchel competes for an interview in front of match day PKs. He greets the French presenter in style with kisses on the left, kisses on the right. He replies to you in French, with the English moderator at your side in his language.

He gives almost no interviews with the media. The “L’Equipe” had one in almost two years. Even the pros like the national players Julian Draxler and Thilo Kehrer keep such annoying duties as far as possible.

Ultras also in the women’s team

Qatar has brought fans and fan culture back, says Jonathan Basso, a Frenchman living in Munich, who founded and runs the first PSG fan club in Germany. “The stadium was dead before 2011. Qatar was determined to bring the fans back as the soul of the club. I don’t agree with everything they do, but they did it, ”says Basso. Even across teams. “The men’s ultras are regularly at our games and really set the mood,” says PSG international Sara Däbritz.

The games against Dortmund will decide on the mood among the men. And in the end probably also about Tuchel’s job. The BVB could shoot him to Bayern, some balked after the draw. But Munich are currently pretty happy with Hansi Flick.

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