Tuchel: 'Back with a smile'

Coach, the players who weren't on international duty were back on the pitch today after a week off…
"The reason behind it was simple: we had played a lot of matches and wanted to give a reward to the players because they did fantastic. I had the idea before the game against Nice because it was the third match in the week and a very demanding game so I said, let’s make a deal: if we win in Nice and against Belgrade and against Lyon, all three matches, then we have a week off… that was the deal and they did it so I had to keep my word and it was easy because they did an amazing job… for the players who went with their national teams, unfortunately for them, they don’t get the break… they guys had some homework to do, which they did, but they didn’t come here for a week and you could see that they came here today with a smile are they are happy to be back."

Is psychology a big part of your job now?
"We have to play as an orchestra, it’s not enough to have the best players, and we definitely have some of the best players in Europe and in the world, but we still have to play as an orchestra… it’s not enough to just let them play and feel good… they have a lot of matches to play, in the league, in the cups and in the Champions League and we also demand a lot of them. So we have to train hard, we have to improve tactically and technically, and improve as a whole squad and so it’s also very important that they come feeling fresh and with a smile and that they are willing… and you can’t force these things so it’s very important to manage their time for recovery, it’s just as important as the time we train and it’s also very important to have a good relationship, a close relationship, because we ask so much of them." 

Is the result the most important thing in football?
"I say it again: that the fans love the team and they feel the spirit and the team effort, this is what I want… I don’t believe in putting the result first, I really don’t believe in it… for me it’s all about the process, of being ready to get results every week, it's a daily process… the little things… how we train together, how we say hello to each other, how we communicate, how we criticise… how we tell bad news, how we tell good news, how we celebrate with each other and how we respect each other and this is the process, the little details and for me the result does not come in first place…"