Tuchel's assistant recounts his departure from PSG: “There was tension”

Zsolt Löw, Thomas Tuchel's second coach during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, shed more light on his departure and his entire journey in the French capital. In an interview in the Hungarian media Nezmeti Sport, the coach explained the tensions between Leonardo and the German coach, the period of signings, the ways of dismissal and the coexistence with stars of the caliber of Neymar, Mbappé, Cavani …

Release: “We were surprised on December 23, after winning 4-0 at Strasbourg, when Leonardo told us that Thomas (Tuchel) would not follow. After having gone through serious difficulties in 2020, having achieved historic successes for the club, pass the group stage and be fighting the league … It seemed incomprehensible to us. Ignoring all the injuries we had during the season, the coronavirus, I think it was an achievement to close the year as we closed it. We had outgrown ourselves, that's the truth. “

Tension: “Anyone who has followed the team news for a while will have heard that there was tension between the sporting director and the coach in recent months. The summer transfer market was not as we would have liked with important players leaving the team before the games August keys. This generated tensions between various team leaders and the technical staff, in addition to the fact that the sports director did not share the same ideas as the head coach. I cannot go into details, but they had different ideas in many areas and the difference It grew over time. This led Leonardo to see himself in the future working with another coaching staff. Let's face it, this relationship was not sustainable in the long run. Sooner or later, performance was going to decline because of this. If you think about it, it was better now, to say goodbye at the top and with the backpack mostly full of great memories “

Stay in the club: “I would not have followed even if they had offered it to me. It was not in my head not to follow Thomas. Before I had the opportunity to stay as head coach in Salzburg and Leizpig but I did not accept. I confess that when I fight with someone shoulder to shoulder it is my duty also share the bad times. The connection we have is very strong. I gave him my word, he trusts me and I feel as much a part of his successes as of his failures. He called me to go to PSG two and a half years ago and I have been by his side all the way. Until the end “

Al-Khelaifi's hand to decide: “We have a very good relationship with him. He appreciated our work and our results but, when he brought Leonardo to Paris, he gave him carte blanche in everything related to sports. The one who decided was him. Al Khelaifi wrote us a couple of times in the last few days very kindly thanking us for what we did for the club and emphasizing that we achieved historic things. He also said he was proud of our relationship on a personal level. “

Farewell messages: “At these levels of football, interpersonal relationships are rare. At PSG everything is in a showcase, a lot of money moves … Sporting success is the main thing and too close relationships are not formed. The stars live in a bubble, not very open to others and they protect their privacy as much as possible. One of our greatest successes is that the players have made sure that we were able to win with them. We have tried to support them in all circumstances. We were the ones Bosses, we marked the way forward but we treated the footballers as teammates. They could talk about whatever they wanted with us whenever they wanted. It was a give and take: if you had to press, we would press, but if you could let go, you would also let go. the confidence of so many players is a success and an unprecedented united group was formed at PSG. Mbappé, Verratti, Kimpembe or Diallo wrote to thank me for my work. When I read it I thought my work had It had made sense beyond the success achieved. “

Experience at PSG: “They have given me a lot. When I decided to leave Red Bull (Salzburg and Leizpig) I did not think that this experience would last so long. Today, we know how to deal with world-class stars as players and as people. We can continue to learn, but we must value what we do. We have built”.

Future: “Being the head coach is an option. Another is to meet with Tuchel to try to reach the top of club football, because although the Champions League silver shines a lot, we lacked something after the lost final. There is also Rangnick, with whom I started in Salzburg. It cannot be ruled out that the three of us will work together in the future. “