Premier League: what if Tuchel had passed Klopp?

Until recently, Jürgen Klopp was arguably the best German coach on the international scene.

But with the arrival of Thomas Tuchel on the banks of the Thames, but also the passage of Bayern from Hansi Flick, this status may have changed.

By their journey, the two German coaches stack the similarities and this Saturday's match between Liverpool and Chelsea could well confirm the new domination of the former PSG coach.

To discover

• Premier League standings

• Premier League fixtures and results

Confrontations to Klopp's advantage

“

You have to be careful when Jürgen compliments you. It means he's up to something.

These were the words of Thomas Tuchel to describe Jürgen Klopp at a press conference this Friday and the German technician knows what he is talking about. If he remains on a 1-0 victory acquired last March, the former coach of PSG has already lost 9 times against his German counterpart, mainly from the time he was coaching Mainz while Jürgen Klopp was sitting on the bench in Dortmund . The two coaches also met in the Europa League in 2016, for a quarter-final that is remembered. Back to back after a draw in the first leg (1-1), Thomas Tuchel had seen his players bow in a molten Anfield (4-3) after having nevertheless led 2-0 in the 9th minute of play.

Since then, the two coaches have crossed paths only three times and the Blues technician remains on 2 victories, one with PSG in 2018 (2-1) and another with Chelsea last March (1-0).

Thomas Tuchel will therefore be able to try to achieve the pass of three on Saturday night by going for a success in an Anfield which will be excited at the idea of ​​facing the reigning European champion.

"

Every time we play, we go to play at Anfield in front of our spectators, it's one of the biggest challenges in Europe,

" Thomas Tuchel said at a press conference on Sunday.

Read also Why the arrival of Lukaku will revive Werner

Imitate Klopp to the end

If these clashes between Tuchel and Klopp arouse so much the interest of observers, it is in part because of their similar journey, which came a little closer when Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League last May with Chelsea. Both passed through Mainz and Dortmund, the two coaches blew like a breath of fresh air on European football. Jürgen Klopp with his “

Gengen

” pressing which undermined all of football Europe and Thomas Tuchel with his positional play which neutralized the best teams on the continent.

Moreover, if Chelsea manage to win the Premier League this season, Thomas Tuchel will follow exactly the same course as his compatriot.

In 2019, Jürgen Klopp won the Champions League with Chelsea before rolling in the Premier League the following year.

A path that the Blues seem determined to take, especially with the return of Romelu Lukaku who displayed all his class against Arsenal last weekend.

“

The combination of financial wealth and knowledge of football is always a threat to us.

What they are doing is great.

Thomas is an exceptional manager and trainer.

He has all my respect,

”said Jürgen Klopp today at a press conference.

Different despite everything

If the comparison between the two German coaches is legitimate, they are nonetheless different. Jürgen Klopp has often compared his team's playing to heavy metal. The Liverpool coach particularly appreciating the multiplication of high intensity races and brutal transitions. “

I love it when I read after the game that we ran more than the opponent. If someone tells me after the game that we have run 11km longer than the opponent, I'm happy. [...] I want a perfect defense, very fast offensive and defensive transitions

, ”he declared in 2013 while he was coaching Dortmund. A given that we have found a lot with his very offensive side in Liverpool.

For his part, the former coach of PSG advocates a positional game based on the confiscation of the ball from the opponent and the use of the entire width. Regularly, Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea won with possession of the ball more than 60% of the time and without conceding a goal. A notion of control that contrasts with the more unbridled football of Liverpool. And if Jürgen Klopp's football is compared to heavy metal, Thomas Tuchel seems to be more a fan of classical music, “

We play like an orchestra but it's important that someone can do a solo on their own

”, said he declared at a press conference. Always tempting, the clashes between Reds and Blues have gained a little more flavor since the two coaches put their bags in England.