Thomas Tuchel confessed to writing down the ‘craziest ideas’ from his conversations with Pep Guardiola as the pair go head-to-head in the Champions League final.
The Chelsea manager hailed his Manchester City counterpart before the showpiece in Porto and said he was hooked on watching Guardiola’s brilliant Barcelona sides.
Tuchel and Guardiola are good friends from their time coaching in the Bundesliga, with the German coaching Mainz then Borussia Dortmund and the Spaniard in charge at Bayern Munich for three years.
The two managers are good friends from their days coaching together in the Bundesliga.
The pair famously turned heads in a Munich restaurant when a chat about tactics turned into a demonstration using salt and pepper shakers.
Tuchel said Guardiola never asked him to be his No 2 when at Bayern but they remain good friends and have a strong mutual respect.
He told BT Sport: ‘We started to speak about football and it gets deeper and deeper very quickly. We had a very lively debate.
‘When I meet with Pep I go home and write everything down to not forget it. It’s in my book like the craziest ideas and thoughts he gave me about how you approach certain games.
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The two coaches chat ahead of the Chelsea vs Manchester City FA Cup semi-final last month.
Guardiola coached Bayern Munich in Germany while Tuchel was at Borussia Dortmund.
‘I watched almost every game of his Barcelona team. I’m not trying to be him and the second best Pep, I try to be myself. He’s a huge influence and a super nice guy.
‘He’s creating these winning machines and benchmarks in the league.
‘You have to be crazy for football. I love this game. It’s a true passion. I feel the excitement, I feel the tension, I feel the desire to win and the hunger on the sidelines.
‘In general, I love what I’m doing and I don’t want to miss a minute.’
Tuchel said he was obsessed with the great Barcelona teams Pep Guardiola put together.
Tuchel has only been Chelsea’s manager since January 26 but has already led them to two victories over Guardiola’s City.
The Blues won 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final and also defeated champions-elect City 2-1 in the Premier League.
