Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech says the key to Thomas Tuchel’s success since joining the Stamford Bridge side has been the speed with which he adapted to the club.
The German coach took charge of Chelsea in January 2021 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain shortly beforehand, and won the Champions League in Porto less than six months later with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
Since then, though the team’s title challenge faltered significantly during December, Chelsea have won the Super Cup in Belfast by beating Villarreal and have reached the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool thanks to a two-legged win over Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals.
In his column for the club website, Cech wrote: “Thomas gelled smoothly at Chelsea very quickly, and that has been the key to his success. He was a coach of teams who were at or near the top of their respective leagues, Borussia Dortmund and PSG, and of course that gives you great experience.
“When he walked in, you could feel he had a lot of experience in football already, from being a coach of youth teams to the top teams.
Cech retired from football in 2019 after spending four years with Arsenal, with his final match being a 4-1 defeat to the Blues in the Europa League final in Azerbaijan. Since retiring from the game, Cech has served as technical and performance director at Chelsea.
Tuchel’s ability to deal with high expectations and pressure after taking over Frank Lampard have been another source of strength, Cech believes.
“When you come to a new club and you’re taking over from a club legend, there is a lot of expectation you start winning straightaway,” Cech added. “Thomas is a good listener and he quickly realised how the club works. That helped him to make the right choices, together with his staff.”
Tuchel began his managerial career with five years at Mainz in his homeland, before spending two years with Borussia Dortmund and then three with PSG.
