Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been named Kicker’s German Coach of the Year.
Although the 47-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge in January with a big reputation, he was tasked with reinvigorating a Chelsea side that was beginning to look stale under club legend and former boss, Frank Lampard.
By instilling a difficult-to-beat, counter-attacking style, the German manager soon justified Roman Abramovich’s decision to sack Lampard and go with a completely different managerial approach.
As well as finishing fourth in the Premier League, Tuchel guided the Blues to two finals - the FA Cup and the Champions League.
A stunning strike from Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans was enough to condemn Chelsea to defeat in the domestic competition, but Tuchel’s crowning glory came just two weeks later as his Blues side beat Premier League champions Manchester City 1-0 in Porto.
Thus, the Blues became European Champions for only the second time, and ever since, Tuchel’s rightly been praised for his considerable efforts.
And now he has another award to add to his collection as he was named the German Coach of the Year award by leading German sports magazine, Kicker.
Despite being proud of his achievements, he wanted to make it known that the players and his coaching staff helped him to win the accolade, and others also deserve such praise.
“I accept the award very gratefully as a great honour for the entire team because I see myself as a team player,” he told Kicker. “Therefore, the personal award is a bit uncomfortable for me.
“Who wants to decide what is the greatest.
“Maybe Christian Streich (Freiburg manager) or Bo Svensson (Mainz 05 manager) deserved the award. Maybe you could drive him to Freiburg every year. Maybe you would have to drive him to Heidenheim because the work there is outstanding.”
Tuchel’s commitment to the people he works with is admirable, but in this instance at least, he could’ve given himself more praise, especially considering it’s an award he well and truly deserves.
Do you want an exclusive pre-season Chelsea preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy!
