The meeting long awaited by Paris Saint-Germain supporters is finally looming. Tuesday, February 18, the Parisian club moves on the lawn of Borussia Dortmund on behalf of the knockout stages of the Champions League. A crucial duel so that PSG can finally put an end to its growth crisis, which has so often disappointed in recent years, at the time of cleaver matches in C1.
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This confrontation is also a real life-size test, and in more ways than one, for his trainer Thomas Tuchel. The German, recruited in 2018 to pass a course to the club on the European scene, has not yet succeeded. Uncompromising in Ligue 1 since his appointment, he has not yet managed to break the famous glass ceiling, failing in the 8th finals of the queen competition in spring 2018, against Manchester United.
A year later, the opportunity arises again for Neymar, Mbappé and their teammates. Faced with the young guard of Borussia, carried by an explosive doublet Sancho-Haaland - 19 years old both -, Parisian stars have the opportunity to cross a course. And Tuchel finally comfort the leaders of the PSG in their choice.
Icy divorce with Dortmund
But for the German technician, the stake goes beyond the Parisian context alone. He knows particularly well the opponent who stands on his way, for having officiated on his sidelines between 2015 and 2017. Two years of excellent results - two podiums in the Bundesliga and a German Cup - but also of conflicting relationships with its leaders, concluded by an icy divorce.
Tuchel, who remains discreet about the circumstances of his departure, retains a bitter aftertaste of his end of reign in Dortmund. A letter from his management to supporters in May 2017 testified to complicated internal reports. The club questioned in particular the "reliability and loyalty" of its ex-employee.
In December, facing the press after the draw, Tuchel recognized without surprise that this Dortmund - PSG would constitute "a special moment for [him] and for [his] staff". A cold analysis, but still less than the reaction of Michael Zorc, Borussia's sports director at the time: "We are not playing against Thomas Tuchel, but against PSG. [...] He does his job in Paris, and he will of course be greeted in a friendly manner when he returns to Dortmund. " A return which, if it does not turn in his favor, could prove to be particularly frustrating for the German coach.
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