Q&A

Tuchel time

Chelsea’s coach on his recent agenda: Champions League glory, a well-earned holiday (with some EURO 2020 thrown in) and his Super Cup ambitions

Additional Content

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

Q&A

Tuchel time

Chelsea’s coach on his recent agenda: Champions League glory, a well-earned holiday (with some EURO 2020 thrown in) and his Super Cup ambitions

Text Link

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

For Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester City in May repaid all those who had helped him on his journey through football. With loved ones watching on at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the 1-0 victory had a special flavour for the German tactician who had seen his Paris Saint-Germain side fall at the competition’s final hurdle some nine months earlier.

Tuchel’s gaze is now, however, firmly fixed on the Super Cup, a prize Chelsea have won just once in four attempts. He is fully aware that Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery has the upper hand in terms of experience of European club football’s biggest occasions, but the 47-year-old is confident of being able to sink the Yellow Submarine…

Tell us about the Champions league final.

The key against Manchester City is to take the ball away, to not only defend. We came with a slight psychological advantage to have already won twice against them in a short period of time. We had this genuine belief and self-confidence: not only from video, not only from talking, not only from a theoretical approach, but we had the experience of beating them. But you have to find a good mix between having the ball yourself and, at the same time, once they get the machine running, you have to suffer for so many minutes. You have to stay together, you have to stay positive and you always have to stay active.

What did you learn from the pain of losing the final last year with Paris?

You have to adapt your own experiences and then translate them to the needs of your actual team. Losing makes you very, very humble. You feel a pain that’s not nice to experience at this kind of level when you’re so ambitious in sport. But it’s a part of it and it makes you stronger – the challenge is to learn from it.

You’ve talked about how hard it was to be away from your family in the early days at Chelsea. What was it like celebrating in Porto on the pitch with your wife and daughters?

That was simply huge. My parents were also in the stadium, my cousin was in the stadium, very close friends had the chance to be in the stadium – so it was even more for them than it was for me. My first feeling was giving something back because, yeah, it was not easy for me to be separated from my family, but sometimes your family also [makes] sacrifices. For sure my family did and for sure my parents have done for a long time, since they drove me around to any football pitch when I was six years old. It meant a lot to me that it was possible to be together.

Thomas Tuchel lifts the Champions League trophy (top);
Tuchel celebrates with his backroom staff in Porto (above)


Have you been able to switch off or were you glued to EURO 2020?

No, no, no, no, there was holiday time! First of all I was in Paris and I helped – or disturbed – my family in the process of moving house. I was also there to have the last days with my kids at school, and from there we went on holiday together and caught some sun, because it’s very rare in London and England! I’ve got better and better – it’s not so hard anymore to switch off. When I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday. I think it’s necessary to recharge. I did not watch too much of the EURO. Some games were just on next to dinner, next to the barbecue but in the end, of course, quarter-finals, semi-finals with our players involved, you watch closer and closer…

We read about your lucky shoes and the role they played in the Chelsea final. Will you be wearing them in Belfast?

No, I think it was a one-time thing. It was nice to tell a little bit of a funny story and talk a little bit about superstition before the game, to shift the focus from the game to a bit of a funny story. But no, I did not even think about it and I don’t think I’ll wear them. Let’s not overuse them!  

What type of match are you expecting against Villarreal?

I have huge respect for Villarreal. They can call this [Europa League] trophy the Unai Emery trophy soon! I mean, this guy is incredible. He’s played five finals and won it four times – crazy! And with Spanish teams you have to be very careful. They play this game for ball possession and they play it with lots and lots of genuine courage. I think they will approach this game [feeling that] they have nothing to lose. I’m not sure, but maybe Villarreal have had a bit of a more structured pre-season because they maybe didn’t have as many players away as we had. But what nicer thing than to start the season with a European final! We will take it very seriously and do the best we can to take the next trophy home.

For the full interview, grab a copy of the official Super Cup final programme here

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