24 December 2023 , 06:00
730
0
When Thomas Tuchel wakes up on Christmas Day this year, he can do safe in the knowledge that he still has a job at Bayern Munich.
That wasn't the case three years ago though, when the German manager was brutally axed on December 24. It was a development that would ultimately alter the course of history for Chelsea, but at the time it represented an acrimonious departure for Tuchel from PSG.
His two-and-a-half years in charge had yielded six major trophies, including consecutive Ligue 1 titles. Just four months previously, he'd become the first coach to lead the French side into the Champions League final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern in an empty arena in Lisbon.
At the time, PSG were battling to retain their league crown, lying third and a point off the top. But while they were hardly in crisis on the field, it was an interview given by Tuchel in his homeland days previously that proved the final straw.
Prior to a 4-0 win over Strasbourg on December 23, German media outlet Sport1 had quoted the 50-year-old as saying he felt more like "a sports politician or sports minister than a coach" in Paris. Furthermore, he argued his achievements there hadn't yielded the credit that they merited.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
"We were a game away from winning the Champions League," he allegedly said. "But I never felt we got the credit we deserved. That makes you a bit sad and upset at times.
Thomas Tuchel is now at Bayern Munich after being sacked by Chelsea last season (Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Thomas Tuchel be back in the Premier League? Comment below.
"And you don't feel winning the league here is thought of as highly as Bayern Munich winning their league, for example. I guess it's a facet of a club with its such high expectations."
But Tuchel's sacking would prompt a series of events that, incredibly, would culminate in him lifting the Champions League less than six months later. Frank Lampard was soon sacked by Chelsea, and the London club came calling.
And Tuchel's side would then go on to lift European football's most elite trophy, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final. The following campaign saw the Blues win the European Super Cup and reach the finals of the FA and League Cup, but he was sacked by Todd Boehly early in the 2023/24 season after falling out with the new owner.