Dortmund
Which team was coached by Thomas Tuchel from Jul 2015 to May 2017?
Thomas Tuchel Thomas Tuchel ( ; born 29 August 1973 ) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Premier League club Chelsea . Born in Krumbach , Tuchels playing career ended at age 25 , as a result of a chronic knee cartilage injury , and in 2000 , he began his coaching career , working for the youth teams at VfB Stuttgart for five years . In 2009 , following a successful one-year period at FC Augsburg II , he was hired by newly promoted Bundesliga club Mainz 05 . Tuchel guided Mainz to league stability during his five seasons at the club , and gained plaudits for his brand of energetic , attacking football . He also cultivated a reputation for his focus on promoting youth players . He departed Mainz in 2014 as a result of financial disputes , and in 2015 , was appointed at fellow Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund , where he won the DFB-Pokal before being fired in 2017 . He was hired by French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 , where he won two league titles , including a domestic quadruple in his second season , and guided the club to its first UEFA Champions League final . However , Tuchel was dismissed in 2020 and was then appointed by English club Chelsea in 2021 , where he won the UEFA Champions League in his debut season . Playing career . Born in Krumbach , Tuchel starred as a member of local club , TSV Krumbach , coached by his father Rudolf . Tuchel moved to the academy at FC Augsburg in 1988 , however , he never appeared for the first team , being released soon after he turned 19 . He was quickly granted the opportunity to play in the 2 . Bundesliga for Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992 . He played eight games during the 1992–93 season . After the 1993–94 season , he was dropped from Kickers first team , and joined Regionalliga Süd side SSV Ulm , coached by Hermann Badstuber , the father of Holger Badstuber , whom Tuchel would later manage at youth level . Playing as a central defender , Tuchel made 69 appearances for SSV Ulm until being forced to retire in 1998 , at age 25 , after suffering a knee cartilage injury . Coaching career . Early career . 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 Gómez and Holger Badstuber . In 2005 , Tuchel returned to Augsburg , with club sporting director Andreas Rettig noting the clubs admiration of Tuchels tactical discipline led him to being appointed youth team co-ordinator . He was hired despite lacking a UEFA Pro Licence , which he gained in a six-and-a-half month course in Cologne under Erich Rutemöller . Tuchel held the position as co-ordinator for three years , eventually transitioning into management after being offered the position as first team coach at Augsburg II for the 2007–08 season . With Augsburg II , he coached a team that included Julian Nagelsmann , himself an injury prone defender , who transitioned to a coaching career after Tuchel instructed him to scout for the club in 2008 . Tuchel also garnered a reputation for his combustibility towards referees during games , often receiving fines from the Bavarian Football Association ( BFV ) as a result . Mainz 05 . Tuchels time as the coach of Augsburg II impressed many top-level German clubs , and he moved to Bundesliga club Mainz 05 in 2009 , taking over from Jürgen Klopp , who left for Borussia Dortmund . Tuchel was promoted into the role after acting as a youth coach at Mainz for the previous 12 months , signing an initial two-year contract . According to club executive Christian Heidel , Tuchels perfectionism , going as far as to analyze pitch maintenance prior to a game against Olympiacos , contributed to his eventual appointment . The challenge of sustaining Mainz as a newly promoted Bundesliga club was difficult , as Tuchel inherited a squad of sub-standard quality that was ill-equipped for top-level football , and he was given limited money to spend . He nevertheless relished the prospect of conducting business in the transfer market , and enjoyed freedom to incorporate players in order to build a squad to his liking . The composition of the squad was seen in Tuchels tactical approach at the club , as despite possessing technically inferior players , he instructed them to utilize long distribution and focus on pressing off the ball , typically overloading one portion of the opposition half in order to create less space to generate counter-attacking opportunities , as relentless high-pressure would create chances by dispossessing or forcing errors from the opposition . This worked well in his first season at Mainz , and playing a fluid 4-3-1-2 system , Tuchel enjoyed a strong league start , eventually guiding the club to a respectable ninth-place finish , while also creating a team that included promising youth players adept at attacking football , such as Ádám Szalai and André Schürrle . Tuchel sought to progress this philosophy in the following campaign , with the arrivals of young German playmaker Lewis Holtby , as well as imposing Austrian full-back Christian Fuchs . Both players allowed him to address major squad deficiencies from the previous season , where Mainz often saw an inability to break down defensively-minded teams , while also having limited attacking success from the left-flank . This allowed the club to enjoy a perfect start to the season , enjoying seven wins in their first seven games , including an away victory over Bayern Munich . This coincided with Tuchels employ of René Marić and Martin Rafelt , founders of the tactics blog Spielverlagerung , to compile occasional scouting reports on Mainzs opponents . Tuchel eventually led the team to a fifth-placed finish , with Fuchs and Holtby contributing with eight league-assists , as the club improved by 11 points to qualify for the third-qualifying round of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League . Mainz were unable to juggle the requirements of both domestic and European competition , slipping to 13th-placed finishes the following two seasons , while also losing both Schürrle and Szalai to domestic rivals . Tuchel , however , was able to replace them with addition of forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting , while also changing goalkeeper , a problem position for the club , with the promotion of Loris Karius . Tuchel also worked extensively with midfield youth product Yunus Mallı , who became capable of playing multiple roles within the midfield , as well being able to operate as a second-striker or center-forward . This allowed the team to transition into a more defensively cohesive and purposeful unit from the purely press-based mindset seen previously , with play now consistently running through the partnership exhibited by Mallı and Choupo-Moting . Tuchel was also able to transition the side into being able to play from the back , due to Karius passing and distributing abilities . After a strong finish to the season , Tuchel extended his contract to remain with the club for another two seasons . In what would turn out to be his final season with the club , Tuchel sought to expand the dynamic of the team , hoping to create a more unpredictable outfit . He bought in Japanese forward Shinji Okazaki to partner Choupo-Moting , while also acquiring defensive midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger for a reported €1.1 million . Baumgartlinger , now partnering Mallı in midfield , allowed the team to retain their cohesive shape from the previous seasons , while also managing to create a base for which the team could incorporate more possession retention . This approach reaped rewards for the team , with Mainz finishing 7th , qualifying for the group stages of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League . Okazaki also enjoyed a prolific season , hitting 15 in the league . Despite approaches by Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen for his services in the latter-half of the 2013–14 season , Tuchel remained until the end of the campaign , with the assumption a successful season would allow for larger funds to be made available in order to progress the squad . After it became apparent , however , that these funds would be in limited supply , Tuchel asked to be released from his contract , later stating I couldnt see how we could reinvent ourselves once more the coming summer . Mainz initially refused to release him from his contract , but they eventually allowed him to leave on 11 May 2014 . Tuchel concluded his Mainz career with a record of 72 wins , 46 draws , and 64 losses , from 182 games , with a win percentage of 39.56% . Borussia Dortmund . In April 2015 , coach Jürgen Klopp announced that he would leave Borussia Dortmund following the 2014–15 season . Klopp felt his position at the club had become untenable , and he sought change after a disappointing 7th-placed league finish to the campaign . Dortmund , inquiring over the availability of various coaches , quickly decided on Tuchel , eager to incorporate a similar press-based footballing philosophy made a club trademark under Klopp , whom Tuchel replaced for a second time . Shortly thereafter , he officially assumed the role as the clubs new head coach on 19 April 2015 , returning to the game after over a year out of management , signing a three-year deal . Tuchel quickly set to revitalizing the team , a task made easier as Dortmunds financial situation and player ability contrasted Mainzs . He conducted his transfer business early in the window , allowing the departures of nine players , while overseeing the acquisition of German midfielders Gonzalo Castro and Julian Weigl from Bayer Leverkusen and 1860 Munich , respectively . Both became the fulcrum of the system Tuchel deployed at the club , as he aimed to replicate the dynamic offense displayed during the final season of his tenure at Mainz , where he encouraged a more rotational system of passing . Castro and Weigl , who were adapted from defensively-minded midfielders to a box-to-box midfielder and deep-lying playmaker respectively , allowed Tuchel to experiment with various formations with a solid base at the centre of the park . Alongside their use of pressing and pace , the team were able to transition from multiple systems with relative ease throughout the campaign , which saw them enjoy strong domestic success by finishing runners-up in the Bundesliga , which included a run of 11 consecutive wins to begin the season . By also possessing adept attacking midfielders in Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan , Tuchel was able to utilize their creative abilities to open up pockets of space between the lines , where forwards and late runners from midfield would often sprint into , to score the teams goals . However , Tuchels debut season at Borussia Dortmund ended trophyless , despite an appearance in the 2016 DFB-Pokal Final , in which they lost to Bayern Munich on penalties . The team also suffered elimination at the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Liverpool , who were now coached by Klopp . However , the campaign was notable for further promotions of youth talent , with American teenager Christian Pulisic largely starring during the latter stages of the season , while the teams average league possession ( 61% ) , goal tally ( 82 ) , and average pass accuracy ( 85% ) reached club record highs . Their point total ( 78 ) was also the second highest in club history , and would have secured a league title in all but three of the previous 52 seasons . In preparation for the following campaign , Dortmund spent heavily on player purchases , with an outlay of over €119 million on eleven entrants , although , much of this was done to offset the departure of core players Mats Hummels , İlkay Gündoğan , and Mkhitaryan , who commanded fees in total of €104 million between them . Tuchel , however , managed to replace them on the versatile output of Ousmane Dembélé , Marc Bartra , and Raphaël Guerreiro , with the latter seeing the most drastic shift in tactical and positional change , often being deployed as a newly converted central midfielder from left-back . Guerreiro , signed following his successful time at UEFA Euro 2016 , showcased great dribbling abilities ; qualities deemed sparse in midfield . This positional change allowed Guerreiros potential to be maximized under Tuchel , as he starred in a midfield trident alongside Castro and Weigl , in a system which was both defensively secure , and also provided a greater attacking threat than previously seen . The versatility of Bartra , who played as a right-back and a central defender , combined with the rapid attacking threat of wide-players Dembélé and Pulisic , allowed Dortmund to transition much quicker between systems . This emphasis on pace saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score 56 goals in 63 league appearances under Tuchel . This allowed Dortmund to return to the final of the DFB-Pokal , where Tuchel won his first ever major honor as a coach , as well as the clubs first trophy in five years , as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 , with goals from both Dembélé and Aubameyang . Despite the victory , it was to be Tuchels only honour with the club , as he was fired three days later on 30 May 2017 . His tenure as first-team coach was marred with controversy , with a strained relationship with the clubs hierarchy , notably CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke , who described Tuchel as a difficult person . Tuchel publicly criticized Watzke after he agreed to UEFAs demand that the club play their Champions League quarter-final first leg match against Monaco on 12 April 2017 , one day removed from the teams bus being bombed . He also reportedly expressed discontent over transfer activity , with Watzke sanctioning the departures of Hummels , Gündoğan , and Mkhitaryan , despite guarantees they would not leave . Tuchel also maintained fractured relations with club stalwarts Roman Weidenfeller , Neven Subotić , and Jakub Błaszczykowski , and aimed to replace the trio , which Watzke disagreed with . Tuchel aimed to sign defender Ömer 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 Tuchel . Moreover , the club also chased midfielder Óliver Torres behind Tuchels back in 2017 . Toprak eventually joined the club following Tuchels departure , while Torres joined Porto . Tuchel left Dortmund with a record of 68 wins , 23 draws , and 17 defeats in 108 games , with a win percentage of 62.96% . Paris Saint-Germain . In May 2018 , Tuchel signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain ( PSG ) , replacing Unai Emery . He reportedly rejected Bayern Munich to join the club . Tuchels first foray into the transfer market at a heavyweight was the permanent signing of Monaco forward Kylian Mbappé for an initial fee of €135m on 1 July . Mbappé shone as a member of the team the previous campaign , and was instrumental for the French national team during their win at the 2018 FIFA World Cup . To offset this large acquisition , and to adhere to UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations , Tuchel sanctioned the departure of several players , including perceived first-team players Yuri Berchiche and Javier Pastore , as well as promising youngster Gonçalo Guedes . After also generating profits through the sales of other bit-part players , the club signed free agent goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on 6 July . A month later , the team signed German defender Thilo Kehrer for €37m , and PSG concluded their activity in the summer transfer market by signing Spanish left-back Juan Bernat for €15m on deadline day , while also reuniting Tuchel with Cameroonian forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting . Despite these acquisitions , Tuchel publicly lamented the clubs inability to improve at both full-back areas . Tuchels first match in charge also yielded his first honor at the club , as PSG defeated Monaco 4–0 to win the Trophée des Champions on 4 August . He also saw victory in his first league game , as the club defeated Caen 3–0 eight days later . After enjoying a brief unbeaten record , Tuchel suffered his first defeat at PSG on September 18 , losing 3–2 away to Liverpool in a UEFA Champions League group game . However , by November , Tuchel would break the record for the most wins to start to a domestic league season , as he registered twelve straight victories . The record was later extended to include two additional victories , prior to the club ending its 100% start to the season on 2 December , after PSG drew 2–2 away to Bordeaux . Tuchel then guided Paris Saint-Germain to top spot in the clubs Champions League group , with a 4–1 win over Red Star Belgrade on 12 December . By securing victory over Nantes on 22 December , Tuchel also broke the record for most points by Christmas in Ligue 1 , with 47 after 17 games eclipsing the record of 45 after 17 set by PSG in the 2015–16 season . In January 2019 , 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 . However , he would defeat the same opposition by a margin of 9–0 ten days later in the league . Prior to deadline day , on 29 January , the club delved into the winter transfer market to sign Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes for a rumored fee of €40m . However , these transfers failed to progress the club in Europe , as PSG crashed out of the Champions League in the first knockout round against Manchester United . The club secured a 2–0 victory away from home in the first leg , but lost 1–3 at home , exiting the competition on away goals . With only the league and the Coupe de France to play for , PSG won the former on 21 April , six gameweeks before the end of the season , marking Tuchels first league title victory as a coach . Six days later , Paris Saint-Germain lost the 2019 Coupe de France Final to Stade Rennais on penalties , which featured after a stretch of three consecutive league defeats : PSGs worst showing since 2012 . After the seasons end , Tuchel signed a one-year contract extension , scheduled to end in 2021 . In his second transfer window , Tuchel strayed from recruiting stars , and instead , pushed for the recruitment of hardworking Spanish midfielders Ander Herrera and Pablo Sarabia , as well as youth prospect Mitchel Bakker . Meanwhile , the club let go of strong personalities in Buffon , Dani Alves , and Adrien Rabiot , and profited from the sales of several fringe players , including Moussa Diaby , Timothy Weah , and Grzegorz Krychowiak . Additionally , the club signed central defender Abdou Diallo from Tuchels old club Borussia Dortmund , combative midfielder Idrissa Gueye , and completed the transfer of goalkeeper Keylor Navas , as well as a loan move for forward Mauro Icardi , on deadline day . With a number of additional sales , this marked the first transfer window since PSGs takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2012 whereby the club has made profit in the transfer market . Tuchel began his second season at PSG by retaining the Trophée des Champions on 3 August 2019 , in a 2–1 win over Rennes . He also won his first league game of the season , defeating Nîmes 3–0 at home . However , PSG lost 2–1 against Rennes in the clubs second league game . In the clubs first game in that seasons UEFA Champions League , Tuchel received praise for his tactical setup as PSG defeated thirteen-time winners Real Madrid 3–0 at home ; the victory occurred without recognized first-team players Neymar , Edinson Cavani , and Kylian Mbappé . He later guided the team to qualification to the first knockout stage with two group games to spare , following a 1–0 win over Belgian club Club Bruges on 6 November . Just under three weeks later , Tuchel led the club to top spot in their group after securing a 2–2 draw against Real Madrid . The club then embarked on a nineteen match unbeaten run in all competitions , recording a number of high scoring victories ; PSG scored six goals against Linas-Montlhéry and Saint-Étienne in the domestic cup competitions in January , while they scored five against Montpellier in the league . Notably , the latter game contained controversy , as Tuchel was seen to be in a heated conversation with Mbappé following his substitution . On 18 February , the club sustained their first defeat in over three months , losing 2–1 against Tuchels former club Dortmund in the first leg in the round of 16 in the Champions League . Under a month later , Tuchel guided the club to the last eight , overturning the deficit in a 2–0 victory at home in the second leg . This was the clubs first game behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; this was the reason the domestic league was canceled on 30 April , while their Champions League fixtures , the Coupe de France , and the Coupe de la Ligue finals were postponed . PSG returned to competitive football on 24 July , winning the Coupe de France after beating Saint-Étienne 1–0 in the final . The game was marred by Kylian Mbappé suffering an ankle sprain , which ruled him out for three weeks . On 31 July , PSG defeated Lyon 6–5 on penalties in the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final to complete a domestic quadruple . On August 12 , PSG scored two late goals to beat Atalanta 2–1 in the quarter-finals of the Champions League , marking the clubs first appearance in the semi-finals of the competition since the 1994–95 season . In the semi-final , PSG defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 to reach their first ever Champions League final , as well as their first European final since 1997 . They would go onto lose the match by a single goal to Bayern Munich on August 23 . In his third transfer window , PSG released a number of players , including club stalwarts Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani . Meanwhile , Mauro Icardis loan was made permanent for €50 million , and the club supplemented this with the loan acquisitions of Alessandro Florenzi , Danilo Pereira , and Moise Kean . PSG began their league title defence with a 1–0 defeat to newly promoted Lens away on 10 September 2020 ; the club were missing Icardi , Neymar , Mbappé , Keylor Navas , Marquinhos , Leandro Paredes , and Ángel Di María due to COVID-19 protocols or for testing positive for COVID-19 . The club went onto lose their second league game by the same scoreline in Le Classique , marking the first time PSG lost their opening two league games since the 1984–85 season . The game became infamous for its disciplinary issues , with 17 cards shown ( the most in a single Ligue 1 game in the 21st century ) , while five were sent off following an injury-time brawl . Tuchel secured the clubs first win of the league season by defeating Metz 1–0 on 16 September , although the game was marred by another red card to PSG . This began a streak of 8 straight wins , before succumbing to a 3–2 away defeat to Monaco on 20 November ; another game where PSG saw a red card . After only managing to secure 3 more league wins , despite finishing atop their Champions League group , Tuchel was fired on 24 December . His firing occurred a day after beating Strasbourg 4–0 , surprising many at the club , including assistant coach Zsolt Lőw . Tuchels tenure at Paris Saint-Germain was marred by a fractured relationship with the clubs hierarchy . In an interview with German television station Sport 1 , he said he felt [ more like ] a politician in sport than a coach . These comments , as well as his previous criticism over the clubs transfer activity , were condemned by PSGs sporting director Leonardo , who said Tuchel [ must ] respect the people above [ him ] , and labelled the comments as damaging for the club . Tuchel and Leonardo reportedly fell out over the signing of defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira , with the coach requesting a central defender ; in response , Tuchel often fielded Pereira as a central defender . 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 ( 75.6% ) and the highest average of points per game ( 2.37 , tied with his predecessor Emery ) . Chelsea . On 26 January 2021 , Tuchel signed an 18-month contract ( with the option for an extra year ) with English Premier League side Chelsea , replacing Frank Lampard . He is the first German to be appointed as head coach of the club . Although expressing a desire to not come in mid-season so as to have a pre-season with his new team , Tuchel accepted the position after Ralf Rangnick rejected the proposal of interim head coach . 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 ( 78.9% ) and passes completed ( 820 ) for a managers first Premier League game . Tuchel won his first game on 31 January , defeating Burnley 2–0 at home , and then won his first London derby ( and his first away game ) by defeating Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 on 4 February . On 11 February , Tuchel guided Chelsea to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 1–0 away win over Championship side Barnsley , extending his unbeaten run to five games . This run was eventually extended to eight games after Chelsea defeated Atlético Madrid 1–0 away in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League , with Olivier Giroud scoring an overhead kick . This marked Tuchels first European victory as Chelsea manager . On 8 March , Tuchels unbeaten run extended to eleven games after a 2–0 home league win over Everton , becoming the first head coach in Premier League history to keep consecutive home clean sheets in their first five home matches . After a 2–0 home victory against Atlético Madrid in the second leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League on 17 March , Tuchel extended his unbeaten run to 13 games , setting the record for the longest unbeaten run by a new head coach in Chelseas history . This was considered to be due to the change to a three-man defence and partly attributed to a pragmatic approach to games ; Tuchels team took as many shots as Lampards team per game ( 13.8 v 13.9 ) , but created fewer chances , leading to 1.1 goals scored on average per game , compared to 2.1 under Lampard . He was ultimately awarded his first Premier League Manager of the Month . The unbeaten run ultimately concluded at 14 games , following a 5–2 home defeat against league strugglers West Bromwich Albion on 3 April . On 17 April , courtesy of a Hakim Ziyech goal , Tuchel led Chelsea to the FA Cup final , defeating league leaders Manchester City 1–0 in the semi-final ; Chelsea would eventually lose the final 1–0 to Leicester City . Tuchel also guided Chelsea to the Champions League Final following a 3–1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the semi-finals , becoming the first coach to reach consecutive finals with two different clubs . He eventually led Chelsea to European glory with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in the final . Tactics . Tuchel is known for his tactical knowledge and flexibility as well as his implementation of innovative training methods . During his tenure at Mainz , Tuchel cut the corners off the training pitch in an effort to improve passing and movement , and enforced his players to hold tennis balls during defensive drills to attempt to limit unnecessary fouling . At Paris Saint-Germain , Tuchel primarily played a 4–3–3 with plenty of flair to emphasize the attacking capabilities of wide forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappé , although , used up to ten different formations while at the club . During the 2018–19 season , the forward line , with Neymar and Mbappé flanking central target man Edinson Cavani , would regularly drop into the half-space or into wide areas . The teams fullbacks would also push up alongside the midfield , in order to attain positional overloads , and players were encouraged to find space between the lines of defense and midfield to disorganize the opposition . Simultaneously , this would disrupt attempts to man-mark Neymar and Mbappé , and create space behind the defensive line for the pair to run into . The teams midfield would see the deepest defensive midfielder stick close to the central defenders , who would often be joined by another midfielder who can act as a deep-lying playmaker . These roles were largely occupied by Marquinhos and Marco Verratti , respectively . The last remaining midfielder would push forward , to stagger attacks and disrupt defensive structure by overloading one side of the opponents defensive area . During the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons , Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes were commonly associated with this role . The team also heavily utilized Gegenpressing , a tactic where , after losing possession of the ball , the team immediately attempts to wins it back , rather than regrouping . This ensures PSG corral the opponent onto one side , before switching play quickly to exploit the weaker side . Tuchel has also been noted for his use of man-marking , tasking Ander Herrera to do so on Thiago in the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final . In the 2018–19 season , following injuries to Neymar , Verratti , and Adrien Rabiot , Tuchel sometimes departed from the 4–3–3 , to success . In a 4–1 home victory against Stade Rennais in January 2019 , PSG lined up in a 4–2–2–2 formation ; in possession , one defensive midfielder would drop between the central defenders to create a back three , while the fullbacks pushed forward . This meant the other midfielder would act as a sweeping defensive presence , while the four forwards would stay high and wide , dropping in sporadically to create vertical passing options to break the defensive line . In defense , PSG would retreat to a 5–3–2 formation , and readjust to a 4–4–2 to gegenpress . These changes have led to some criticism , with PSGs move to a 3–5–2 against Lyon leading to a 2–1 loss in February 2019 . At Chelsea , 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 . He mostly preferred a 3–4–2–1 , with ball progression largely coming from the wingbacks , a position mainly played by Reece James and Ben Chilwell , while also restoring the ostracized Antonio Rüdiger to a first team regular . Sources close to the club noted Tuchels strong communication skills with players and light tone ( a reflection of his claim he has been happiest professionally at Chelsea ) , to training sessions , with a wide range of drills including mini footballs or using hands instead of feet in some games . Personal life . As a child , Tuchel expressed liking the name of Tottenham Hotspur , and stated he was a fan of Borussia Mönchengladbach , citing Hans-Günter Bruns as his footballing idol . He attended Simpert-Kraemer-Gymnasium and devised tactic strategies in PE volleyball class . He graduated from Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University with a degree in business administration , and worked as a bartender at the Radio Bar in Stuttgart while a student . He married his wife , Sissi , in 2009 . The couple have two daughters . He is a polyglot , speaking English , French , and Italian . He describes himself as an imperfect vegetarian and consumes minimal amounts of alcohol . He considers himself an avid reader , namely of crime thriller novels and books about architecture and design , and is also a fan of tennis , rock music , and hip hop . Honours . Manager . Borussia Dortmund - DFB-Pokal : 2016–17 Paris Saint-Germain - Ligue 1 : 2018–19 , 2019–20 - Coupe de France : 2019–20 - Coupe de la Ligue : 2019–20 - Trophée des Champions : 2018 , 2019 - UEFA Champions League runner-up : 2019–20 Chelsea - UEFA Champions League : 2020–21 Individual - Premier League Manager of the Month : March 2021 External links . - Profile at kickersarchiv.de