Thomas Tuchel: 'I do not copy Pep Guardiola'

Thomas Tuchel has insisted that he should not be compared to Pep Guardiola as he prepares for his first season in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

The 47-year-old was handed the job of leading Dortmund back to success in the Bundesliga following Jurgen Klopp's struggles to get the best out of the team in his final campaign as boss.

However, Tuchel claims that he has never tried to follow in the footsteps of Bayern boss Guardiola after earning an impressive reputation during his spell with Mainz 05.

"As a fan and coach I simply admired Pep's work at Barcelona," Tuchel told Bild. "But from this admiration I have not tried to copy or imitate Pep. It would not work, imitating his style."

Tuchel's first competitive game as Dortmund boss will be against Chemnitzer FC in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 9.