'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Thomas Tuchel is one of the finest tacticians in the game at the moment. The current Chelsea boss has proved his pedigree in three different top-five league teams during his decade-long managerial career.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager has exceeded expectations after arriving at Stamford Bridge only a year ago. He unexpectedly took the Blues to their second UEFA Champions League title last season, and has won the FIFA Club World Cup this campaign.
Trending
Often described as a hybrid between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp - two managers with distinct playing philosophies - Tuchel has managed to carve out a niche for himself.
While he looks to have the ball, like Guardiola, he abhors 'sterile' possession. Instead, Tuchel wants his players to win the ball upfield - ala Klopp - and move it around with purpose.
Many players, especially goalscorers, have found success in Tuchel's unique playing philosophy.
On that note, here's a look at five players with the most goals under the German tactician:
#5 Angel Di Maria - 36 goals
Angel Di Maria is one of the best wingers in the game at the moment. Though he is on the wrong side of 30, the PSG man is still going strong.
Di Maria has played under many fine managers. However, his tally of 36 goals (in 101 games) under Thomas Tuchel is the most he has netted under any tactician. During this period spanning two and a half seasons, the 34-year-old also racked up an impressive 49 assists, winning two Ligue 1 titles.
The current Chelsea manager once gushed about Di Maria:
"I like Di Maria a lot; he is so gifted. I watched him play with Real Madrid and for me I could not believe I could train him at some point back then. Now he is my player; it's a gift for me. It's easy with him, as he is every day one of the first to come to training. He has a lot of skills; he always plays for the team; it's really a gift."
#4 Andre Schurrle - 41 goals
Andre Schurrle is the only player on this list who has played under Thomas Tuchel for two different clubs.
The 31-year-old first played under the tactician at Mainz in late 2000s and early 2010s. He reunited with his compatriot at Borussia Dortmund for a lone season in 2016-17. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner has also contributed 14 assists under Tuchel.
The current Chelsea boss labeled Schurrle a gifted player when he first broke out as a teenager in a youthful Mainz team.
#3 Neymar - 51 goals
Neymar is widely regarded as one of the most skilful players in the game. The 30-year-old has scored 90 goals for his current club PSG. That includes 51 strikes in just two and a half seasons under Thomas Tuchel. Neymar also bagged 32 assists during this period.
It was under Tuchel that the Brazilian winger scored his 50th goal for PSG and also enjoyed his best campaign with the club. Neymar netted 16 times and bagged eight assists in 2019-20 as the Parisians missed a continental quadruple by a whisker. They were beaten by a solitary goal by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final.
Tuchel has praised Neymar for his big-game pedigree, saying:
"Ney is always the key, in attack and in defence. But I really have to say it; he’s always reliable when important matches come up. He works a lot, he’s always there, he’s very smart, he controls the ball."
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 79 goals
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most prolific active goalscorers in the game at the moment.
The Barcelona striker had a particularly successful four-and-a-half-season stint with Borussia Dortmund in the mid-2010s, scoring 141 goals. More than half of those goals came in just two seasons under Thomas Tuchel.
It was under the German tactician that Aubameyang won his only Bundesliga top-scorer award (2016-17), scoring 31 goals. BvB won the DFB Pokal that season.
Tuchel only has fond memories of the duo's time together at Dortmund, reminiscing:
"Back in the days at Dortmund, it was a pure pleasure to have him in the squad. Auba was a fantastic striker, a fantastic finisher on the pitch. But, more than that, he was a fantastic worker off the pitch."
He added:
"I think he did not miss one single training in two years. It was a very reliable relationship because he delivered an unbelievable amount of goals; his speed was unique in the Bundesliga and he was a crucial player."
#1 Kylian Mbappe - 83 goals
Kylian Mbappe is the most prolific goalscorer managed by current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
The 23-year-old PSG star netted 83 times in 98 games; the most Mbappe has netted under any manager in his young career thus far. The tally includes 63 strikes in Ligue 1, 11 in the UEFA Champions League, and the rest in various cup competitions. Mbappe also racked up 46 assists during this period.
Tuchel recently said about the French attacker:
"He’s a shark; in his mentality... he wants to grab everything that he can have. This is the mentality that you need. And I mean it in a positive way because he’s a nice guy in private and in person, super nice guy, super intelligent, super funny. But once he’s on the pitch he’s a shark and that’s what the best guys are. If you drop one drop of blood in the water they arrive, and this is Kylian."
