Paris Saint German Sack Head Coach Despite Recent Win
The German head coach has paid the price for the French champions’ stuttering start to their latest Ligue title defence
Thomas Tuchel has been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain just hours after their comprehensive win over Strasbourg, Goal can confirm.
The 47-year-old’s two-and-a-half-year reign at Parc des Princes is over, with the French champions taking the decision to make a change in the dugout following a mixed start to the 2020-21 campaign.
PSG picked up their 11th Ligue 1 win of the season by thrashing Strasbourg 4-0 in midweek, but still find themselves trailing Lyon and Lille by a point in the table.
And Tuchel has now paid the price for his team’s inconsistency, with sporting director Leonardo and club president Nasser Al Khelaifi informing the German of his dismissal on Wednesday night.
Tuchel leaves a lasting legacy at PSG after delivering six domestic trophies and overseeing the club’s run to a first-ever Champions League final.
The Parisian outfit picked up Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue honours last season before appearing in European football’s showpiece event, only to lose 1-0 against Bayern Munich.
Tuchel was forced to defend himself after the Strasbourg game amid the fallout of an interview published by SPORT 1, during which he was quoted as saying he felt “more like a sports politician or sports minister than a coach” in his first season in France.
“I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true,” he told Canal Plus. “It is possible they translated incorrectly.
“Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that. I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”
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PSG will now look to appoint a new head coach before their next fixture against Saint-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on January 6.
The squad will take in a well-earned rest over the winter break before preparations for that fixture begin, with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino reportedly the favourite to pick up from where Tuchel left off in the second half of the season.
Despite their erratic domestic form, PSG still have multiple trophies to play for in the new year, including the Champions League, with a huge round-of-16 tie against Barcelona scheduled to take place in February.
