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The PSG adventure is over for the 47-year-old. But a world-class coach like him has new opportunities to work successfully. The big question is: which variants are now suitable for it?
Media reports on December 24 of Thomas Tuchel’s retirement as Paris Saint-Germain head coach came as a surprise to many. Not only because this announcement was made public on Christmas Eve, but also because the 47-year-old can remember a very successful time in France.
With the club, the ambitious German has won two French championships and a national cup in the last two and a half years. Only with the great success, winning the Champions League, it didn’t work out. Last season, PSG only failed in the final 1-0 against Bayern Munich.
Now the Paris adventure is over for him, and many football fans are wondering: What’s next for Thomas Tuchel?
First of all: there is currently no answer. Tuchel has yet to comment on his current situation.
But here are the various possibilities that could be considered for an experienced top European coach like Tuchel.
I. Coach of the German national team
Despite weak performances by the German team in 2020, culminating in the 0: 6 debacle in Spain, national coach Joachim Löw remains in office. The DFB made this clear recently. But two questions remain open in this regard:
Joachim Löw: The national coach has to win the last international matches before MS 2021. (Source: Sven Simon / imago images)
First: What if Löw does not use the remaining three international matches in March 2021 to convince Germany football that EM 2021 could still be a success?
Answer: If Löw did not win at least two of the games against Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia in March, the discussion about his position would take place again, especially since EM is just around the corner. If you want to pull the rope from the coach on short notice in the DFB, Tuchel, from now on, would be the best candidate for the successor. He is available, knows how to work with the best stars and develops the players even more. Exactly what the national team would need then.
Secondly: What happens if the DFB team plays good final test matches in 2021, but then doesn’t succeed in MS?
Answer: If the EM in 2021 is a failure, Löw would be difficult to maintain. Criticism of him would grow stronger and stronger. The call for a new coach too. And then the name Tuchel would come into play again.
Both variants, however, would require Tuchel not to take on another job until at least the end of March to wait for the national team to play.
II. Coach of a top European club
Advantage for the DFB: Most of the best clubs currently have good coaches. And Tuchel would only go to a club like that. Because he made a name for himself by moving to Dortmund and then PSG, across Europe. It stands for detailed work, a clear playing philosophy and, thanks to the DFB Cup victory with BVB and national titles with Paris, also success.
In other words: a coach in Tuchel’s category, if he wants to take command of a new club again soon, he will go to an absolutely superior club. And at the moment there are not many clubs that are in doubt.
Perhaps the most realistic possibility at the club level: Tuchel was already associated with Arsenal FC before moving to Paris. The ambitious London club is currently in crisis. The team is only ranked 15th in the Premier League. And coach Mikel Arteta is still quite firm in the chair. Still. Because criticism against him is increasing. Arteta scored just 14 points with the team in the last 14 games. Tuchel and Arsenal, that might fit.
Or maybe it will turn out quite different?
III. A longer break
After his time as coach of FSV Mainz 05, Tuchel took a long break from football. He traveled a lot, ate a healthy diet, lost several kilos. Looking back at this moment, he once said of “Bild”: “Once again I was able to be an integral part of something that I normally hardly have time for.”
It is quite possible that Tuchel would like to distance himself from professional football for the first time, which after two and a half years of anguish at a top European club would not be the culprit. The few months until the DFB games would certainly not be long enough for him to recover.
And perhaps that would be the best for a coach who always gives everything for his work and the success with his team. Because relaxation is often neglected.
