During the hardest moment of his career, he showed why he’s so highly regarded.
Nobody that’s associated with Borussia Dortmund wanted to play their Champions League match against Monaco this soon, but as reported by the BBC, the club” were told by text message that Uefa was making this decision.”
Given the fact that their team bus was attacked by three explosive devices on Tuesday evening – an incident that’s outlined in harrowing detail by their midfielder Nuri Sahin – it’s practically impossible to imagine what was going through the minds of the Dortmund squad as they prepared for their first-leg tie.
After the 2-3 defeat to Monaco, Thomas Tuchel gave a variety of interviews to the media and despite admitting that “we wished we would have had more time to deal with what happened, but someone in Switzerland decided we must play”, the Dortmund coach also gave a unique insight into the very humane man management skills that he used during this difficult and traumatic period.
The whole interview is worth a watch, but one moment will provide a clear example of why Tuchel is so highly regarded.
When asked how he managed to find the strength to unite, focus and lead his squad, Tuchel said : “I don’t know, I just do. Most of the time, I don’t feel like a leader. I just take care of my guys and my staff. I mean, I have a bit more experience than my players and I told them ‘Don’t worry so much about it, try not to think about it. It does not get much better.”
He added “everybody has the right to deal with it in the way they want to. If you want to talk about it, talk. If you want to be silent, be silent. If you need a hug. I’ll hug you! Or find someone at home that hugs you. To me, it’s about different characters and it’s very inspiring to see how we dealt with it in the second half.”
As outlined by Sahin, the Dortmund players are very aware that they have a privileged lifestyle, but at such a hard time for these men in their professional lives, it’s reassuring to see that they’ve a coach who’s a firm believer in the personal touch.
Take a look.
TUCHEL: – It was a terrible experience for all of us. We wanted a bit more time to deal with it.
(@JanAageFjortoft) pic.twitter.com/VBTaupZa5k
— Viaplay Fotball (@ViaplayFotball) April 12, 2017
