PSG confirms firing of coach Thomas Tuchel

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain fired coach Thomas Tuchel on Tuesday, paving the way for the expected hiring of Mauricio Pochettino.

The confirmation of Tuchel’s dismissal — only four months after he led PSG to the Champions League final — came after days of reports that the German would be replaced by Pochettino, the former Tottenham coach. However, PSG did not immediately announce a new hiring.

″I would like to thank Thomas Tuchel and his staff for everything they brought to the Club,” PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said. “Thomas has put a lot of energy and passion into his work, and of course we will remember the good times we shared together.”

PSG beat Strasbourg 4-0 on Wednesday but Tuchel was questioned after the game about comments he made to German broadcaster SPORT1.

The German coach reportedly claimed that managing PSG was more akin to being a politician or a sports minister, such was the level of difficulty, and that he did not receive enough recognition for leading the club to its first Champions League final.

In Tuchel’s first season, PSG opened with 14 straight league wins but failed to retain both of its domestic cup trophies and lost a string of league games near the end. It was also eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16.

Last season, Tuchel bounced back by leading PSG to a domestic treble and the Champions League final, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

Tuchel’s side had struggled at times this season with four league defeats. It lost two of the first three games in the Champions League though PSG ended up advancing to the knockout stage by topping its group.

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