Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has shared the bizarre advice Ralf Rangnick once gave him as a player, as the two German coaches prepare for their first meeting in the dugout on Thursday night. Before an injury cut short his playing career, Tuchel spent 18 months under the now Manchester United interim boss at SSV Ulm.
A defender for the German club before picking up a serious knee problem aged 24, the Chelsea manager has shed light on the method Rangnick taught him to deal with opposition frontmen. Rangnick later offered Tuchel his first step on the coaching ladder and is often credited as a driving force in modern German methods.
Aside from Tuchel, managers such as Jurgen Klopp and Julian Nagelsmann have also championed Rangnick for his approach and helping them forge their own successful pathways into management. So what did Rangnick tell Tuchel as a player before employing him as an U15s coach at Stuttgart?
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Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Tuchel said: "He told us we didn't need to follow our striker when he goes to the toilet and we can defend as a back four and defend spaces and it brought big success to the little club where we played."
Tuchel added: "When he managed Stuttgart he opened the door for me to the academy. From then on I tried to be the best possible and of course he had his fantastic record in Germany to bring clubs to the very highest level and to build clubs from scratch. It is nice to see him. We will maybe have time for a chat, five minutes. But contact is not on a daily or weekly basis."
Rangnick will take charge for the remaining four games this season before permanent manager Erik ten Hag takes over in the summer. His appointment was confirmed by United last Thursday morning and he is set to spend the rest of this campaign with Ajax.
