Thomas Tuchel, the current coach of Bayern Munich, shared insights into his coaching life during the ISPO conference in Munich.
The Bayern Munich coach, who previously managed Paris Saint-Germain from 2018 to 2020, discussed the differences in managing locker rooms between his time at PSG and his current role at Bayern Munich, where he started in March of the current year.
« I had a very German mindset, where we draw a lot of certain rules. But there are different ways to build a team. In Paris, the rules are completely different from those here in Germany. It helps me understand my players better. »
« When I hear at Bayern that a certain behavior from a player is unacceptable, it makes me laugh because I think, ‘you don’t know what we had to deal with in Paris!’ It makes me calmer. »
« I understand better why players behave as they do. I give them more space than I could have if I had only been in Germany throughout my career, » Tuchel explained.
« The group is always ready to support a superstar who always scores. The problem is when the superstar doesn’t give anything back to the group or doesn’t show respect, » said Thomas Tuchel, without naming names. However, it is likely that he was referring to Neymar. « Some also need to be highlighted; you shouldn’t make them smaller than they are. They are just top players; it’s not a problem. They score your goals. »
« They are very demanding and full of talent. They have a big ego that drives them forward. But you need a good relationship with them, otherwise, you won’t be able to convince them of your ideas. »