PORTO (DPA) – With an open champagne bottle in hand, Thomas Tuchel stormed into the cabin party, which literally took off his shoes.
In his early career summit, the German coach of Chelsea FC danced in a circle, giving everyone a bath of wine and leaving their professionals to celebrate in their gray sneakers. The great evening of victories in the Champions League felt like “in a movie”, said Tuchel, who was visually shaken and enjoyed every moment and wanted to share all his happiness with his family.
“When I think about it, I start crying. I know how happy they are now for them,” said the 47-year-old, 1-0 by Kai Havert in the Porto final against Manchester City Said after the victory. His parents, wife Sissy, and his two daughters saw at Estadio do Drago how Tuchel won his first international title as a coach. “To be honest it’s the best thing,” cheered the Chelsea coach, who had a hands-on experience with his daughters for the first time since the awards ceremony.
Won a german coach again
It was a masterpiece, nothing less. Last year, Tuchel failed miserably with Paris Saint-Germain in Bayern. He lost his job in Paris shortly before Christmas Eve, and six months later he took Chelsea to Europe’s football throne. He is the third consecutive German winning coach in the Champions League, following Jürgen Klopp with FC Liverpool in 2019 and Hansie Flick of Munich in 2020. “Tuchel played a very big role” in the ascension of “Blues”, loudly assuring defender Antonio Rudiger.
In ninth place in the Premier League, Tuchel took possession of Chelsea at the end of January and moved it to fourth place by the end of the season. The Londoners lost the FA Cup final against Leicester City, but were the winners in the biggest game of the season. “To me, a childhood dream is coming true,” said winner Havert on Sky Microphone. After all, he had already played the Champions League final goal as a mini kicker with his friends.
With his tongue, the 21-year-old celebrated his decisive goal in the 42nd minute, his first goal in Europe’s most important club competition. “It’s an incredible feeling,” Havert admitted later, after petting the pot. Chelsea signed him and national team colleague Timo Werner for more than 130 million euros before this season. “So we came here, so we were bought,” Werner said after the final victory.
Good record against man city
It was the third success for Tuchel’s Chelsea in their third competitive game against the champions of Manchester. “We felt it yesterday, we felt it a day before yesterday. We are stones in the shoes of Man City,” Tuchel said. His first path after winning the title took him to city coach Pep Guardiola, whom he admires, and with whom he once debated tactics for hours at a restaurant in Munich with salt and pepper shakers.
The 47-year-old also spoke to the powerful club boss Roman Abramovich at the lawn. Further negotiations are to follow, including long-term contracts. It will initially run until 2022. “I’m not 100 percent sure, maybe I already have a new contract, something my manager said,” Tuchel said at the press conference. “I think that was the best moment for the first meeting. It can only get worse from now on.” He can assure you that “I will starve and want the next title.”
And Guardiola? The Spaniard is still waiting for his third title in the Premier category, the last title so far with FC Barcelona being ten years ago. In Porto, the extraordinary coach seemed highly led. once again. Perhaps because of his respect for Tinkler Tuchel, he chose a formation for Man City in the first Champions League final which should prove to be wrong. Sky expert Lothar Matthaus complained, “I don’t know for whom he wanted to prove anything. Even such a trainer should learn: Shoemaker, Stick to Your Last.”
The team overwhelmed by Guardiola’s thoughts
Instead of using the tactics so successful recently in the league, with which the defensive was strengthened and Ilkay Gundogan became the central figure, Guardiola destabilized his team with new stylistic elements. “I definitely wanted to win the game with this line-up, the players knew exactly what to do,” the Spaniard said. But his team seemed overwhelmed by Guardiola’s thoughts and hardly had a real chance to score. “We lacked motivation,” Guardiola admitted.
While Chelsea’s custodian Abramovich may post the Champions League to the credit side for the second time since the Munich victory in 2012, the Abu Dhabi-funded billion-dollar project Manchester City is failing. “We’ll be back,” Guardiola said defensively. In Great Britain, broadcaster Sky Sports ruled: “The alleged over-thinker now has heat to chew on.”
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Source: DPA