Thomas Tuchel: Rulebreaker

Description

When Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea in January 2021, few could imagine that a mere four months later he would be leading the club to victory in the UEFA Champions League final. Having inherited a misfiring team, he quickly remoulded them in his image, combining a spectacular attacking style of play with brilliant tactical thinking. But who is Thomas Tuchel? Fans of his former clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund would tell you he is one of the best football managers in the world. Innovator, tactician, superlative motivator and, sometimes, controversialist, Tuchel knows how to develop young players but also how to manage a dressing room full of superstars such as Neymar and Mbappe; and now Mount, Havertz and Werner. This is the definitive story of Thomas Tuchel and his footballing genius: from his beginnings as a football manager in Mainz to his successful but conflict-laden stint at Dortmund. From his glittering tenure at PSG, which was also marred by his fractious relationship with the club's hierarchy, to his arrival mid-season at Chelsea. This book introduces us to one of the most interesting figures in football today.

Daniel Meuren is a journalist for the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He is the author of a number of books covering both men's and women's football. He has closely followed Thomas Tuchel's career since his days as a junior coach at Mainz. Tobias Schachter works for the newspaper Badische Neueste Nachrichten in Karlsruhe, Germany. He previously lived in Istanbul and is the author of a book on Turkish football. He first met Thomas Tuchel on the pitch in the mid-1990s when he played for VfR Mannheim against Tuchel's SSV Ulm in Germany's third division.

"Absorbing. An essential primer for Chelsea fans and a warning to everyone who isn't a Chelsea fan." - Daniel Finkelstein "Daniel and Tobias were on the Tuchel train from the beginning and they give you the full story of one of the most fascinating coaches in the game. Instructive and revealing for the novice and with plenty of freshness for seasoned Tuchel watchers too. A very satisfying read." - Andy Brassell, The Football Ramble podcast