Thomas Tuchel’s tenure at Borussia Dortmund from 2015 – 2017 was marked by numerous ups and downs.
While some in Dortmund would describe him as a tactical genius responsible for the best football the Schwarzgelben ever played, others would be more critical.
However, when looking at the numbers and the tactics that he implemented, one can barely argue that he had a remarkable time at Dortmund and put in some outstanding performances.
When the former Mainz coach took over after a disappointing season under Jürgen Klopp, he was smart enough not to change everything radically.
Instead, Tuchel built upon the principles that his predecessor left behind while implementing his own elements on top.
Other than Klopp, Tuchel put more emphasis on positional play and defined structures in the build-up.
And as it turned out, he was quickly able to teach those elements to his team.
In this tactical analysis, we will examine how Thomas Tuchels coaching style reinvigorated Borussia Dortmund in the 2015/16 season and point out how he transformed their attack into one of the most entertaining sides across Europe.
Thomas Tuchel Lineup
In terms of formation, Tuchel didn’t change much compared to his predecessor.
Especially at the beginning of his tenure, he usually lined his team up in a very fluid and flexible 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 shape.
This resulted in many asymmetric structures that allowed his players to form triangles and constantly have several options in possession.
Tuchel found his preferred starting eleven very quickly.
His back four usually consisted of Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels, Sokratis, and Lukas Piszczek.
At the
