Thomas Tuchel’s man management the key to success at PSG
Thomas Tuchel must ensure his man management doesn’t define his Paris Saint-Germain stint like it did at Borussia Dortmund.
When Thomas Tuchel emerged as the front runner for the PSG job in early April, current Arsenal striker and former player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came out in praise and support for his former manager. However, he also left a warning for the incoming manager: “He could be good for Paris, but we’ll have to see — if he goes — whether he manages to handle the dressing room. I think that’s the hardest thing to do with the big teams.”
There’s no denying Tuchel’s talent on the pitch; he’s one of the most tactically astute managers in the game right now. His Borussia Dortmund side were an electric pressing machine with many of the current crop of youngsters, in particular Christian Pulistic, coming to the fore under the German coach. He helped revive a post-Jurgen Klopp Dortmund in his first season, finishing the Bundesliga as runners up with 78 points, the highest points total of any runner-up in Bundesliga history. He then ended a five-year trophy drought with the DFB Pokal in his second season with a 2-1 win over an impressive Frankfurt side in the final.
There are some question marks over Tuchel’s pedigree in the tournament the Paris giants crave the most, but one could argue Tuchel has been impressive in his brief forays into Europe so far. He led Dortmund to the Europa League quarterfinals and was only denied a place in the semis through a heroic Liverpool comeback. He then topped a Champions League group, managing to remain unbeaten in two meetings against European champions Real Madrid before losing in the quarterfinals against Monaco, with the first leg taking place just a day after a bomb had exploded near the team bus. Given his limited track record and the circumstances it took to halt his Dortmund side, there’s plenty of promise in Tuchel’s European career.
Hence the issues with Tuchel all come back to Aubameyang’s point. At Dortmund, the German struggled with both the dressing room and the club chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, with their disagreements sometimes spilling over into the public eye. Tuchel had few friends in the Dortmund dressing room with almost none of his squad coming out in support of him when he was under pressure.
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If Tuchel’s cold and clinical approach to man management could cause that much trouble at Dortmund, then it ‘ bound to make his PSG stint a nightmare. The French champion’s dressing room is filled with egos far bigger than the ones in Dortmund with many of the first team used to getting their own way after Unai Emery’s stint at the club.
One would suspect the higher powers at PSG enjoy similar freedoms. After all, Tuchel was the owner’s choice despite the sporting director and the club chairman both having different choices for the job.
Tuchel had a very long leash at Dortmund in comparison to his new club and he won’t be allowed to publicly criticize his players or his bosses like he did at Dortmund. He’ll need to be patient and careful with both his players and with the club executives if he wishes to succeed. It’s a big challenge for the German, but it would, if he succeeds, be a massive achievement, and help him take a big step on the road to joining Europe’s coaching elite.