Ambitious, grounded and focused sum up Thomas Tuchel, whose appointment at Borussia Dortmund is his second coaching position in the Bundesliga. The 41-year-old enjoyed a successful spell at the helm of 1. FSV Mainz 05 between 2009 and 2014, helping the 0-Fivers to qualify for Europe twice in his five years at the club.

Thomas Tuchel's first job in the Bundesliga actually came about thanks in part to a win over BVB. After completing spells with the youth set-ups at VFB Stuttgart (2000-2006) and FC Augsburg (2006-2008), the former second-division defender joined 1. FSV Mainz 05, steering the club's A-Junior team to German Championship success in his debut season. Mainz's opponents in the final on 28 June 2009 were none other than Borussia Dortmund, who equalised through Mario Götze to level the scores at 1-1 before an 0-Fives side boasting the likes of soon-to-be world champion André Schürrle and other future Bundesliga stars such as Jan Kirchhoff, Konstantin Fring and Petar Slišković took a 2-1 lead. At the time, BVB Chief Executive Officer Hans-Joachim Watzke was full of praise for Mainz's young coach. And Michael Zorc said: "Although the experts felt that our team was better man for man, we didn't really ever have a chance in that match."

The win with the A-Juniors paved the way for a promotion from within, with Tuchel appointed as the club's first team coach five weeks later on 3 August 2009. "In his footballing philosophy, his teamwork ability, his personality and through his passion, Thomas Tuchel embodies the virtues which have always made Mainz 05 such a strong side," said Christian Heidel, the club's manager, of Tuchel's appointment right before the start of the new season. The move soon proved to be successful, with Tuchel steering the club to ninth place in the table in his first season in the job. And in his second campaign, seven wins from the first seven games of the season - a run which equalled a then Bundesliga record - propelled Mainz to a fifth-placed finish.

Modern high-tempo and attacking football

"I think attack should be the first line of defence, I rely on uncompromising, quick switch play, a great willingness to run and aggression when it comes to tackling. I trust my players and really get them on board. If they are ready to devote themselves to our common goal," said Tuchel. Modern high-tempo and attacking football was the hallmark of the 0-Fives playing style, though the coach was happy to stand back and avoid the hype. Following a victory over Bayern Munich, Tuchel said: "I didn't cover a single blade of grass, didn't score any goals and didn't stop any either. The team are the ones who deserve a celebration." He also once said of himself: "I think I'm very well-grounded. My objective is to stay true to myself."

Thomas Tuchel has always devoted himself to football, but has never lost sight of the bigger picture either. The 1.90-metre-tall defender played eight second-tier matches for the Stuttgarter Kickers in the 1992/93 season before his career really took off in 1994 at third-tier SSV Ulm. Unfortunately, however, it was there that his playing career was cut short at the young age of 24 due to a serious knee problem - a chronic cartilage injury. "Ulm were promoted to the second tier and then to the Bundesliga. It's a bitter pill to swallow, just missing out on fulfilling your life dream," he said at the time.

Coaching qualifications passed with a grade of 1.4

However, a combination of meticulous work and ambition laid the foundations for his coaching career. While still playing in the third division, Tuchel studied Business Administration, for which he gained a diploma ("I just wanted to prove to myself that I could use my ambition to accomplish something non-football-related") before passing the exam to become a football coach in 2007 at the German Sport University of Cologne with a grade of 1.4.

It marked the start of a stellar coaching career, which will now continue in the Black and Yellow of Borussia Dortmund.
Boris Rupert