The story is as tasty for Thomas Tuchel and Thiago Silva as it is cruel for Paris.
The day after the elimination of PSG in the Champions League semi-finals, Chelsea composted their ticket for the May 29 final in Istanbul, against Manchester City.
Blues who made short work of Real Wednesday (2-0), at Stamford Bridge, a final after their draw in Spain (1-1).
“The second half was very strong, analyzes Tuchel, on
RMC Sport
.
We suffered first, Real had a lot of possession, they changed a lot of positions and it was hard to actively recover the ball.
But every time we did it, it was a big chance against it.
In the second half, we were very strong, we created a lot of clear chances.
However, it was still hard to score (laughs)… And for that, I congratulate the team because we never lost concentration, the hunger was exceptional, the mentality in the second half… It was a pleasure to see that. "
And a pleasure to return to the C1 final for the German technician, the first coach to invite himself two years in a row with two different clubs at this stage of the tournament.
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A statistic that the Bavarian seemed to discover after the game. However, he did not want to spit his venom against his former employer, who had been sacked on Christmas Eve. Or rather, the PSG "released" Tuchel, to use the word used by Thiago Silva. Do not see a linguistic imprecision, the Brazilian having first said that Paris "let him go". We remember that the 36-year-old defender had been notified of his non-renewal of his contract before ending the campaign in Lisbon and… seeing Leonardo offering him, finally, to come back. Except that in the meantime, Chelsea had come forward. “Sad” for his former partners after leaving the track against City, “O Monstro” ensures that “this is not revenge. The club has made its choice. It was sad for me. But most important now,it's that we're happy here. ”
"The Premier League is extraordinary"
Thomas tuchel
Coming back to Thomas Tuchel, the 47-year-old German coach said he only wanted to talk about Chelsea when he was asked about the different context within the two clubs. Except that it is not complicated to understand, in hollow, his criticisms of the functioning of the Paris-SG. “I found a very strong club, only focused on winning, it's a very strong mentality at the training center. Lots of support for me, since day one, ”he says. Quite the opposite of his previous experience? And to continue, just to put a layer on the L1, after his recent outing on the subject: “The Premier League is extraordinary because we can never recover, we must always give 100%. And it does something with the club, the mentality and the players.It's amazing and it's a pleasure to be a coach here. ” Same story for Thiago on the “PL”: “Here, it's a little different because every weekend, we play a Champions League match. In the end, you are better prepared. It is the demonstration, with a real team which entered the field to fight, we did it well. ”
For the rest, it is clear that Thomas Tuchel's success is total in this new experience on the other side of the Channel. In less than six months, he transfigured the dying Blues by bringing them into the Top 4 in the league, in the FA Cup final (on 05/15 against Leicester) and C1. 24 matches, 16 wins, six draws and two losses, 32 goals scored and 10 conceded. You might expect it. And besides, we expected (read also: Why Tuchel has the ideal profile to revive Chelsea). Maybe not so fast, not at this point. But with the Blues, the former Dortmund coach has found a club where things are not as "political" as at PSG, to use a term he used. All with a malleable workforce, young players, of international quality but with no protruding head. Perfect for him.
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“He brought a lot of things, analyzes Thiago Silva.
The main thing is to play well on the pitch, to maintain peace of mind.
The players understood the situation well.
To play football, you have to take advantage.
He gave confidence.
We started to manage the matches well.
We cannot forget that more than half of the team is very young, 22-23 years old.
We sometimes make mistakes, like today with a lot of missed opportunities.
We could have finished the match before.
But I'm happy with my team, with the performance on Wednesday.
We must now rest well for the final. "
And to add, about this second final in a row in “Champions'” shared with Tuchel: “It's special for us”.
Tuchel-Thiago Silva, linked destinies
All the more special as Tuchel went out of his way to keep Thiago Silva in Paris last summer.
He has also spoken publicly on this subject several times.
In vain.
Leonardo decided otherwise… “He was my captain in Paris, an extraordinary captain on a daily basis.
Our relationship, although professional, has always been based on a lot of trust.
He's an extraordinary guy, with a character, he was extraordinary in the second half.
We can see that he is having a lot of fun.
He was very strong and I am very happy. ”
To see if the two men will succeed where they failed last year with Paris Saint-Germain, that is to say lift the Cup with big ears.
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This will require coming to the end of a City team who are marching on the Premier League this season. Moreover, Pep Guardiola's players no longer need more than three small points to be crowned. And guess which poster will be on the menu on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.? Man. City-Chelsea. A remake of the recent FA Cup semi-final won 1-0 by the Blues against the Citizens and especially the dress rehearsal before the grand final of the Champions League. "All the finals are special matches, different from the others," notes Thiago Silva. We play on Saturday, but that will be another context. We still have time to prepare for the final. On Saturday there is a big game to play. It's a Champions League match every weekend. We will have the same state of mind as against Real, we will try to play well,like in the semi-finals (of the FA Cup). " And the Brazilian adds: “It's special because I had never reached the final until 35, and I do two in a row… But we haven't won anything yet. We know it. It will take a big job against City to bring back the cup. " His ex-teammates are in a good position to find out.
Moreover, Thiago Silva and Tuchel are not the only former PSG to shine on the European scene.
This Thursday, Edinson Cavani and Manchester United will aim to confirm their 6-2 card in the first leg against AS Roma in order to reach the final of the Europa League.
Maybe it will be against David Luiz and Arsenal.
Although, it is Villarreal, after his 2-1 victory a week ago, who is on a favorable waiver.
And who is the trainer of the Yellow Submarine?
A certain Unai Emery… Decidedly, the gods of football want Paris.
Thiago Silva and Tuchel could however still suffer the same outcome as their former employers and partners by losing to the same team in the final, in Turkey.
Answer May 29.
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