Chelsea fans already know who the best German manager is, but it is nice of Kicker to confirm that Thomas Tuchel is clear. Narrowly beating out Hansi Flick by 11 votes (the Bundesliga is a very big deal in Germany), Tuchel took the top spot for his achievements this past season. Dortmund interim coach Edin Terzic placed third. Jurgen Klopp, in case anyone wants to ask or pipe up saying “no Klopp is the best German manager!” received just three votes.
But, let’s not pick on Klopp too much; he’ll have plenty of time to do that himself when he drops points and blames a high pressure system moving across the country. Instead, let’s focus on what Tuchel’s done to receive this award and what makes him so special and unique among German managers.
Tuchel had an interesting season overall. It began with a Paris Saint-Germain side that failed to reinforce in the ways Tuchel desired after reaching a Champions League final the year prior. By December, it had all come to a head as Tuchel lashed out at the board and it’s politics. He was quickly sacked with PSG failing to establish a foothold in Ligue 1.
He wasn’t out of a job for long though, as Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard and quickly hired Thomas Tuchel. The speed at which he was hired would give some North London clubs nose bleeds but the Blues didn’t hesitate to bring in a manager that they believed could get the most out of the squad and turn things around.
That being said, no one at Chelsea or in the fanbase could have honestly have predicted what would come next. Tuchel’s Chelsea soared in match after match. They clawed their way back into top four and to an FA Cup final once again. But the big one was the Champions League. 2012 will be remembered as a miracle for the club. 2021 will be remembered as an assured march towards victory. The Blues confidently destroyed Atletico Madrid, Porto, and Real Madrid before doing the same to Manchester City in the final.
Why did Chelsea play so good? Pep Guardiola has his own answer which at the time was met with fear from Chelsea fans and after the final has become a meme so driven into the ground that it’s starting to see daylight again. The simplest answer is belief.
Tuchel made Chelsea believe in themselves again after a bad winter. The defense became impenetrable. The offense still lacked, but instead of dropping their heads they just went again. Almost every player in the squad played a part in the turnaround, though a few did find themselves solidly on the outs. Overall though, Chelsea felt fun again and Tuchel directed the chip on their shoulder to positive results.
Tuchel is a bit of an outsider as far as German managers go. He’s clearly inspired by Ralf Rangnick and he’s picked up (or come to the same conclusions about) Julian Nagelsmann’s ideas about pressing using three at the back. But he’s also heavily inspired by Pep Guardiola’s positional play. Klopp and Guardiola are often seen as two tent poles in the modern game but Tuchel has a foot in both camps.
Even without signings, Chelsea fans should be hopeful for the new season since it will be Tuchel’s first full year. If in half a season he can become the best German manager and win the Champions League, then Guardiola and Klopp should fear what he can do with a full season.