Thomas Tuchel believes that Chelsea has undergone significant changes since he worked there and no longer resembles the club he loved
Tuchel was asked if he would recommend the Chelsea job to the former Bayern boss Nagelsmann but the German tactician revealed that Chelsea has changed significantly since his Champion League-winning days.
Potter had replaced Tuchel, who was fired by Chelsea less than 18 months after leading them to Champions League success. Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were the ones who dismissed him.
The Blues dismissed Graham Potter on Sunday after their 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, leaving them in 11th place in the Premier League.
Tuchel was asked if he would recommend the Chelsea job to Nagelsmann.
“He’s not going to ask me! He doesn’t need my advice, that won’t happen,” Tuchel said in a press conference ahead of Bayern’s DFB-Pokal meeting with Freiburg.
“I saw the news. In the end it was pretty tough timing. It was right after I took over here and now the next coaching position is vacant at Chelsea.
“I needed quite a bit of time to distance myself from Chelsea, because I really liked to work there and there were friendships for life that I managed to build.
“It was a very intense time but the club changed massively. That helped me to find some distance. That’s why this didn’t bring out huge emotions in me.
“That’s why I don’t have to give any advice, because the club is different to the one I worked for.”
Bayern’s first match under Tuchel’s management was a great success. The Bavarians beat his previous team Borussia Dortmund 4-2 to climb to the top of the Bundesliga table.
Tuchel praises ‘extraordinary’ Mane
Bayern took the lead through a disastrous own goal by Gregor Kobel. This was followed by two goals from Thomas Muller and another from Kingsley Coman, making it 4-0. Dortmund managed to score two consolation goals through Emre Can and Donyell Malen. But it wasn’t enough to stop Bayern’s victory.
Tuchel believes that Mane will regain his peak performance despite the player’s limited involvement in the game as a second-half replacement due to injury. Mane only had 12 touches and failed to take a shot during his time on the field.
“I know him personally from England,” Tuchel said of Mane. “He’s one of the top players, he’s scored in double digits, felt like 20 goals every year for Liverpool in the toughest league in the world.
“He plays at an extraordinary level, won all the trophies and titles for Liverpool. His importance is clear.
“Even with his age and experience, a change of clubs is still a change. It can lead to needing a bit of time to bed in a bit, to feel at home 1,000 percent.
“Small things, like getting to the stadium, that were so easy in the past, have to be found out, and this takes time. Then it’s done and dusted but then an injury occurs, and he could lose a bit of trust and form.
“I don’t doubt his qualities, the things he can bring to us. It’s about trust, a bit of patience in order to get back to the flow. A goal helps, no matter how, to get his joy back. We’re working on it.
“With the strikers, those situations will occur all the time when they lose a bit of rhythm due to an injury.”
