Thomas Tuchel's all-time managerial XI
By Tom Gott
Thomas Tuchel's managerial story is a fun one.
He worked his way up through the academies of Stuttgart and Augsburg before cutting his teeth in the big leagues with Mainz. Things there went so well that Tuchel earned gigs at Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The 2020/21 season ended in the best possible fashion for Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory and was then named German Coach of the Year for his achievement. Not bad.
To celebrate Tuchel's accomplishment, here's an all-time lineup of the best players to have ever played under the boss.
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Keylor Navas (GK) - Perhaps the most disrespected goalkeeper ever, Navas landed at PSG after being booted out of Real Madrid, and he was a massive part of the reason the Parisians reached the 2019/20 Champions League final.
Marquinhos (CB) - It was under Tuchel that Marquinhos really began his emergence as one of the best centre-backs around. The boss tried to reunite with him at Chelsea, but PSG were (understandably) having none of it.
Thiago Silva (CB) - Some of Marquinhos' development has to be attributed to playing alongside Silva. Tuchel was devastated when the defender left for Chelsea, only to reunite with him six months later at Chelsea.
Mats Hummels (CB) - Tuchel spent one year alongside Hummels at Dortmund before the towering defender made his big-money move to Bayern Munich.
2. Midfielders
Ousmane Dembele (RM) - Garth Crooks intensifies. Ignoring the fact Dembele would be an awful wing-back, he needs to fit in this squad because of his ridiculous rise to glory which came under Tuchel in 2016/17. In just 12 months, Tuchel turned Dembele from a £30m player into a £120m player.
Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - Gundogan might have taken his game to a new level since joining Manchester City, but it was his form under Tuchel at Dortmund which earned him that move in the first place.
N'Golo Kante (CM) - Kante has been unreal for a few years now, but his form under Tuchel as Chelsea won the Champions League was absolutely outrageous. There's a reason he's in the Ballon d'Or conversation.
Marco Verratti (CM) - It's a straight shoot-out between Jorginho and Verratti for the final spot in this midfield, and the PSG man edges it out. Verratti has been at an elite level for years now and has even been tipped to move to Chelsea for another spell under Tuchel.
Neymar (LM) - Another with the perfect defensive work rate for a wing-back role, Neymar scored goals for fun under Tuchel, despite spending more time in hospital than on the pitch.
3. Forwards
Kylian Mbappe (ST) - A contender for the best player to ever play under Tuchel, Mbappe enjoyed two ridiculous seasons with the German at the helm in Paris.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) - Mario Gomez, who played under Tuchel in Stuttgart's academy, almost got a look-in here, but it's hard to look past Aubameyang. 79 goals in just two years at Dortmund is mental.