Worrying form: Tuchel looks to address Dortmund slide
42-year-old returns to former club Mainz with side having not won in four matches
Tuchel left Mainz in an acrimonious manner and will be hoping his new side can help him get one over his old one. PHOTO: REUTERS
MAINZ:
Coach Thomas Tuchel returns to former club Mainz 05 for the first time since their acrimonious split more than a year ago, with Borussia Dortmund desperate for a win on Friday to hang on to the coattails of leaders Bayern Munich.
Tuchel coached Mainz for five years, steering the Bundesliga minnows to two Europa League campaigns, while also setting a club record for a best start to a season with seven consecutive victories in 2010-11.
However, things turned sour when he left Mainz in May 2014 despite the club refusing to release him from a contract that still had a season to run Tuchel, feted as Germany’s most talented young coach, opted to spend a year away from football before taking over at Dortmund.
“We have different ideas about respect,” Mainz 05 president Harald Strutz said this week. “His departure was borderline.”
Read: Dortmund drop first points, leave Bayern top
Strutz had used stronger words at the time of Tuchel’s exit, suggesting the coach had betrayed the team.
Tuchel’s sabbatical ended when he was brought in as Jurgen Klopp’s successor and the 42-year-old saw his team race out of the blocks with five straight league wins. They then stuttered to a pair of consecutive draws before crashing to a 5-1 defeat at Bayern two weeks ago to drop seven points off the pace in second place.
“I do not have a bad feeling about my return to Mainz,” Tuchel told reporters.
The coach will hoping Dortmund’s positive record against their opponents continues, with his team winning seven of their last eight matches against Mainz.
Read: Tuchel mulls Park dilemma on Dortmund's record run
The 42-year-old will also be keen to see Marco Reus find his shooting boots after he missed a string of chances for Germany during the international break. Reus has scored more goals against Mainz than any other club in the league, netting eight times. “I know I am not yet where I want to be,” said Reus, who was sidelined for a few weeks after fracturing a toe in September. “But one goal, one successful move and everything can change.”
Should Reus still struggle for form, Tuchel can count on striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has set a league record after scoring in each of the opening eight Bundesliga matches so far.
A goal in Mainz would see the Gabon international set a Bundesliga record by becoming the first player to score in 11 consecutive games as part of a run that stretches back to last season.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2015.
Coach Thomas Tuchel returns to former club Mainz 05 for the first time since their acrimonious split more than a year ago, with Borussia Dortmund desperate for a win on Friday to hang on to the coattails of leaders Bayern Munich.
Tuchel coached Mainz for five years, steering the Bundesliga minnows to two Europa League campaigns, while also setting a club record for a best start to a season with seven consecutive victories in 2010-11.
However, things turned sour when he left Mainz in May 2014 despite the club refusing to release him from a contract that still had a season to run Tuchel, feted as Germany’s most talented young coach, opted to spend a year away from football before taking over at Dortmund.
“We have different ideas about respect,” Mainz 05 president Harald Strutz said this week. “His departure was borderline.”
Read: Dortmund drop first points, leave Bayern top
Strutz had used stronger words at the time of Tuchel’s exit, suggesting the coach had betrayed the team.
Tuchel’s sabbatical ended when he was brought in as Jurgen Klopp’s successor and the 42-year-old saw his team race out of the blocks with five straight league wins. They then stuttered to a pair of consecutive draws before crashing to a 5-1 defeat at Bayern two weeks ago to drop seven points off the pace in second place.
“I do not have a bad feeling about my return to Mainz,” Tuchel told reporters.
The coach will hoping Dortmund’s positive record against their opponents continues, with his team winning seven of their last eight matches against Mainz.
Read: Tuchel mulls Park dilemma on Dortmund's record run
The 42-year-old will also be keen to see Marco Reus find his shooting boots after he missed a string of chances for Germany during the international break. Reus has scored more goals against Mainz than any other club in the league, netting eight times. “I know I am not yet where I want to be,” said Reus, who was sidelined for a few weeks after fracturing a toe in September. “But one goal, one successful move and everything can change.”
Should Reus still struggle for form, Tuchel can count on striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has set a league record after scoring in each of the opening eight Bundesliga matches so far.
A goal in Mainz would see the Gabon international set a Bundesliga record by becoming the first player to score in 11 consecutive games as part of a run that stretches back to last season.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2015.