Thomas Tuchel arrives in the capital
At 44 years of age, Thomas Tuchel will take charge of Paris Saint-Germain for the 2018-19 season. In signing the Bavarian, the capital club has engaged a master tactician, an accomplished strategist has arrived… and here’s the proof in numbers:
27 years of age was how old Thomas Tuchel was when he first started coaching. In 2000, he rang in the new millennium with a new career. A defender by trade, between 1992 and 1998 (mostly in the German second division), he hung up his boots after a string of injuries. From 2000 to 2004, he applied his scientific approach to the game from the bench of the VfB Stuttgart youth academy. He moved to Mainz, securing the U19 title in 2009, before taking charge of the professional first team a month later for their promotion to the Bundesliga and his introduction to professional football coaching. Now, at just 44 years of age, he already boasts 18 years of coaching experience on his CV…
19 was the number of days it took for Thomas Tuchel to make a name for himself in the German top flight. Named head coach of Mainz on 3 August 2009, the entire country was made to take notice on 22 August when coach Tuchel and his players marked their return to the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win over powerhouse and future champions Bayern Munich in Week 3 of the campaign. In a remarkable promoted season, Mainz finished the term in fifth place and qualified for Europe after sitting an incredible second at the halfway point of the season. The key to his success? A good dose of ball possession, incessant pressure on the opposition ball carrier and a tactically astute side capable of changing formation to suit his needs, up to four times in a single game! Impossible for opposition coaches to adapt and inspiring for his side’s fans…
63.75% of wins in domestic competitions with Borussia Dortmund (a record), in two seasons with the BVB (80 matches). No sooner had he signed with the club in June 2015, than the Tuchel charm was working on the fans at Signal Iduna Park. At the end of his first season, Borussia finished with 78 points – the highest tally for a second-placed side in Bundesliga history, behind champions Bayern Munich. With an average of 2.5 goals scored per match and 65% possession in all competitions, the club was known throughout the continent for its spectacular football. ‘TT’ was named Bundesliga Coach of the Year in 2016.
27/05/2017 is a key date in Thomas Tuchel’s biography as he won his first major title when Borussia Dortmund lifted the German Cup with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. After knocking out Bayern 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final, The Yellow and Black side were desperate to take the Cup. At the Olympic Stadion in Berlin and just three days before announcing he was leaving the club, Tuchel ensured he went out on a high. He is now ready to continue collecting silverware in the French capital!
1st German coach of Paris Saint-Germain. In the streets of the capital, or at the Parc des Princes, Paris is a multicultural affair. Since the club’s founding in 1970, the club has spoken nearly every language and now, for the first time, will have a German coach. Thomas Tuchel becomes PSG’s 27 coach and here, football is the universal language, so… Willkommen Thomas Tuchel!