Sunday’s Carabao Cup final not only brings together two of England’s finest teams, but also two heavyweight head coaches in Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp.
There’s a lot of similarities between the German coaches. Both achieved their coaching badges studying under Erich Rutemöller. Both rose to prominence at the helm at Mainz 05, before making the jump to Borussia Dortmund. Both have had success utilising high-energy, aggressive pressing styles. Both have been crowned Champions League winners the year after being defeated finalists.
However, there are key differences between the two, starting with their playing careers. Klopp had a long professional career with Mainz, making over 300 appearances across 11 years. He retired as a fan favourite and the club’s record goal scorer.
By contrast, Tuchel’s career was cut short after dropping down from the 2. Bundesliga to the Regionalliga Sud (fourth division), before then hanging up his boots at the age of just 25, unable to continue due to his injuries.
Klopp acquired the managerial role at Mainz in 2001 after spending the final few years of his playing career working towards his coaching badges. Taking over at a second division club with no prior experience was a big step, but Klopp rose to the occasion, guiding the club to their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga within three years.
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Tuchel meanwhile had a more gradual introduction to coaching, appointed as youth team coach by pioneer of the gegenpress, Ralf Rangnick at VFB Stuttgart. He oversaw the development of the likes of Holger Badstuber (whose father Hermann was Tuchel’s coach at SSV Ulm) and Mario Gomez, winning the 2004/05 under-19 Bundesliga title.
After working with the youth and reserve teams at his former youth club FC Augsburg, Tuchel was approached to lead Mainz in 2009, impressing with the level of attention to detail he took when approaching matches.
That leads onto another difference between the two coaches. Whilst Tuchel’s training sessions are adapted to focus on the most minute aspects of the game, such as getting defenders to hold tennis balls to prevent them from fouling with their hands, Klopp adopts an ‘attack is the best form of defence’ approach. His “heavy metal” adaptation of gegenpress, with intense pressing and fast, clinical attacks on turnovers is arguably less complex, but devastatingly effective.
This has lead to some thrilling encounters when the two managers have faced off against each other, most recently in January when Chelsea hosted Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Both teams pressed aggressively, and punished each other when they fell out of shape, notably Salah’s goal to put Liverpool 2-0 ahead, and Havertz’s goal to equalise.
Such intensity leads to ebbs and flows during the game, with the second half much more calm and considered affair, but to see the two teams play is a spectacle, and it’s something that English football fans will once again be looking forward to on Sunday.
