Stronger from Zinédine Zidane and even Pep Guardiola! By winning this Wednesday in Lille (2-1) in the knockout stages of the Champions League, the German Thomas Tuchel did not simply offer his team a new qualification for the quarter-finals of the cup with big ears. Chelsea. Above all, he became the best coach in history in this competition, which he played with three clubs, Borussia Dortmund, PSG and therefore Chelsea. With a place as a finalist in 2020 with the Parisian club then a victory with the London team the following year, the German coach had already panicked the statistics.
“For Chelsea, the priority is sport”
Despite the worries of his club, owned by Russian Roman Abramovich, who was forced to sell after his country invaded Ukraine on February 24, the German coach does not ask questions and rushes towards his destiny. In Lille, the former PSG coach thus won a 32nd victory in the Champions League (for 9 draws and 9 defeats) in 50 games. He thus exceeds in the hierarchy Zinédine Zidane, the former leader, whose counter has remained stuck at 31 successes and Pep Guardiola who has 30 victories. “Yes, it’s good,” said the German technician at the microphone of RMC Sport. I did not know that. But we must have a good club, and a strong team for this to be possible. »
With the presence of Thomas Tuchel in the quarter-finals, it’s a bit of PSG who will also be there in the rest of the competition. Moreover, with Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid coach, and Unai Emery, that of Villarreal, three former PSG coaches find themselves in the closed circle of the eight best in Europe, from which the capital club was excluded after his failure in Madrid the previous week.
Moreover, Thomas Tuchel may have spoken implicitly of his former club, just after his qualification by declaring: “For Chelsea, the priority is sport, what we must do to win the next matches, nothing else. Chelsea are a very calm club, with the mentality of always giving everything to push our limits. We try to create an atmosphere where everyone is respectful and reliable. The players show that they are capable of overcoming complicated circumstances. The circumstances are a bit difficult but we remain focused, I am very proud of my players. »
A statement that may echo other outings that the German had made in the past towards his former club. “At PSG, I felt like the Minister of Sports. I also had to manage family members and friends of the stars. At Chelsea, I work much more calmly. »