Anyone who was at Schumann’s Bar on a cold evening in December 2014 will not forget the scene. Two men talk passionately about football, stir glasses, salt and pepper shakers, placed on the table as if they were players on the grass and could move
The two men in question were Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel, who established a friendly relationship at that dinner over six years ago, which was not at stake when Chelsea defeated Manchester City in a London clash for a place in the final of the FA Cup.
Tuchel, at that dinner in Munich I was just a fan of it GuardiolaThey had already met twice, in the games of the Bayern de Pep against Mainz 05, both won by the Bavarian giant, but never as intimate as that night.
“It had a big impact for me. When you go out with Pep, why don’t you talk about football?” Said Tuchel, who at the time was spending a sabbatical year awaiting a new proposal, to come later, from Borussia Dortmund. .
‘I’m not going to say much, but it was [una conversación] about positions in the field and what he did in Barcelona. He explained it to me and we drew some drawings on the table to explain the issue of positioning and tactical situations, ”continued Tuchel.
“We talked about how Barcelona changed when they bought Cesc Fàbregas, what changed in the team. How to adjust Lionel Messi like a false 9, how to create spaces, to play with a row of three or four from behind. we used what was on the table. Sometimes it is easy to explain tactics using an object. “
It wasn’t the technicians’ first dinner. The relationship became so close that Tuchel exchanged views with Guardiola even after you Dortmund defeated Bayern 5-1 in October 2015, again in Munich.
“If Germany adopts the position, it will mainly be thanks to Tuchel,” praised Guardiola in a sentence published in Martí Perarnau’s book “Pep Guardiola: Evolution”. The admirer was also admired.
Guardiola and Tuchel they fought at the edge of the lawn five times. The most that the German achieved was a draw twice, although one of those matches ended with the victory of the Bayern and the title on sanctions, in the Germany CupThat was in May 2016.
It was the last professional meeting between them, now competing for the same competition. Guardiola, which has been in England for five years, serves as inspiration for Tuchel, which replaced the layoffs Frank Lampard and has already achieved impressive results for the Chelsea
Hand in hand with the German coach, the Blues have risen in the Eredivisie and secured a spot in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, is true too GuardiolaBefore a hypothetical clash in Europe, or even a new heated dinner on English soil, the two battle for their place in the final of the FA Cup
“We have to admit there is a gap between the teams, but for 90 minutes we are aware and sure that we can approach them for a match. [al Chelsea] happy to compete with a coach who is a big reference in England and Europe ”, praised Tuchel at the press conference.