‘My job at Chelsea was not finished… I came here to close a cycle’

Thomas Tuchel, who was in Kerala recently for Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy, speaks about his time at Stamford Bridge, the competitiveness of the Premier League, his managerial future and who he will be keeping an eye on at the World Cup

A picture of Thomas Tuchel with a fan at the Kochi airport popped up on social media last month. ‘He is going to be the assistant coach of Kerala Blasters,’ someone joked.

He hadn’t spoken after being sacked by Chelsea in September. So nobody knew what he was up to. Speculation had run rife about the future of the man who led Chelsea to Champions League glory and guided Paris Saint-Germain to back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.

That picture on social media suggested that the 49-year-old German, widely considered one of the best managers in world football, was in India. He indeed was — at the Sitaram Beach Retreat in Thrissur in central Kerala, to be precise, for Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy.

Although he had been reluctant to speak all along, he relented in the end. And he spoke at length — a few hours before catching the flight back home. Excerpts:

How do you look back at your days at Chelsea?

I loved every day at Chelsea. It came to an end too early for me. But it was out of my hands.

This is also what you sign up for. You sign up for the good things if you’re a football coach, but sometimes things are out of your hands; you have to accept it and make the best out of the situation.