Two championship titles, triumphs in the Cup, Supercup and League Cup, the long-awaited first Champions League final since the owners from Qatar entered.
On the surface, it is surprising why Paris Saint-Germain – still not officially confirmed – has decided to end coach Thomas Tuchel.
The early release of the former BVB coach from his until the summer of 2021 had not just been indicated this week: For a long time, turmoil at PSG, an alienation between club and coach was noticeable. And in the course of this season the differences had become irreconcilable (results and schedule of Ligue 1).
A core of the problem: Tuchel’s relationship with sports director Leonardo.
Thomas Tuchel struggles with manager Leonardo
The 51-year-old ex-national player from Brazil had hired PSG for the second time in the summer of 2019, one year after Tuchel.
The two did not find a productive togetherness, which had become obvious before this season. Tuchel had expressed massive public criticism of the squad composition, saw the departures of captain Thiago Silva, striker Edinson Cavani and Thomas Meunier not sufficiently compensated.
“If the team stays like this, we can’t talk about the same goals anymore,” he said. For this there was a verbal reprimand from his boss.
Test DAZN for free and experience international football highlights live & on demand | DISPLAY
“We didn’t like that,” said Leonardo, who has had close ties with the club since his playing days. He added perturbed: “If someone is not happy when they decide to stay, they have to stick to either the sporting policy or the internal rules.” Tuchel’s reputation as an idiosyncratic character, which had already been the subject of his mysteries from Borussia Dortmund, had caught up with him again.
PSG are said to have expected more from Tuchel
There was then several speculation about a separation, at the latest by the end of the contract in summer, the end of the brief Tuchel era was expected – also because other things were in a mess.
Despite reaching the premier class, the powerful patrons from Qatar with club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi are said to have been dissatisfied with the sporting development.
Allegedly, despite all the titles, they had promised themselves more from the man who is seen by Pep Guardiola as a brother in spirit – and who once led turbulent tactical discussions with him in fine restaurants in Munich.
A clearer game idea was the desire for an identity that would make PSG more independent of the whims of the individualists Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
Dealing with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé always in focus
Tuchel’s dealings with the big stars also repeatedly sparked debates. He granted them freedom, looking for the right balance between the necessary looseness to keep them happy and rigor so as not to gamble away his authority.
Several French media reported, for example, that the coach wanted to travel to a training camp in southern Spain in March after losing the first leg of the first leg against Dortmund. The players had loud on it The teamreferring to a Parisian employee, don’t feel like spending time with their families. An Instagram video in which Presnel’s brother Kimpembe Tuchel insultedly swore at the time also caused a stir.
A month earlier, a public row with Mbappé had caused a stir, who had reacted angrily to an early substitution in the 5-0 win against Montpellier.
Ligue 1 expert Raphael Domenach had in SPORT1-Interview reports that the relationship between Tuchel and Mbappé was generally not that easy: “It is certain that Mbappé does not like the special treatment because of his age. He has the feeling that he is treated differently than with Neymar or the other very big ones Name of world football. He thinks that sometimes Tuchel still treats him like a youth player. “
Mistake in Ligue 1
The second leg against Dortmund and the march into the final distracted from the tensions, which were threatening for Tuchel even then and overshadowed his sporty record: In the past season he won the championship, the league cup, the cup and the Supercup four titles. The 0: 1 against FC Bayern in the Champions League final prevented a perfect season.
With six titles in two years, an average of 2.37 points per game and 96 wins in 127 competitive games, Tuchel has outstanding statistics, but this year he also offered athletic attack surfaces.
Third place in Ligue 1 and four defeats in the first 17 games are below the highest standards that apply at PSG. A botched start to the season with two defeats and the corona cases of Neymar, Angel di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Marquinhos, Mauro Icardi and Keylor Navas – who had spent the summer vacation together – became another mortgage for Tuchel.
Former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino should now be available as a successor.
–
