Thomas Tuchel revealed he is still ‘hurt’ by his Chelsea sacking on the eve of his first match in charge of Bayern Munich.
The 49-year-old was ruthlessly dismissed by Todd Boehly in September following a series of reported disagreements.
Tuchel had been linked with a string of jobs following his departure and had anticipated continuing his career in the Premier League, before Bayern came calling last week following their decision to part company with Julian Nagelsmann.
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss remains a hugely popular figure at Stamford Bridge and although he is relishing the task at hand as Bayern prepare for Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund tomorrow, he still can’t shake the feeling of injustice he felt after leaving Chelsea with unfinished business.
‘We had the feeling we were in the right spot at the right time to achieve big things and stay longer,’ said Tuchel at his pre-match press conference.
‘We had big relationships, huge relationships, within the staff. We still do. How long did it take to get over it? It still hurts not to see these people on a daily basis
‘I’ve said it before, I love this job. I have the passion. The week here [at Bayern] was very demanding but there’s no funnier place than a dressing room and a football staff. It has so much love, so much joy, so many good jokes. That is what I have missed the most.
‘[At Chelsea] we built an extraordinary bond because of the circumstances. We started during Covid and Brexit, then came the change of ownership.
‘So we were a strong, strong, strong group on the training ground and it was not in my hands to take the decision [to leave].
I was no longer part of this group, and it felt like a family. So now I have found a new challenge.
‘I am happy to be back at a very ambitious, big club and straight away I feel the energy.
‘I still have a good bond with the [Chelsea] players. We still text. There are many, many messages. I still have a lot of friends there and this will not end because of a new job.
‘There will always be people in the football industry that say I am difficult or complicated. I don’t think I am difficult to work with. I think I am easy to get on with.’
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