Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted he was in a ‚very dark place‘ following PSG’s last minute Champions League exit to Manchester United in 2019.

Tuchel’s side had won 2-0 at Old Trafford in the last 16 first leg, but conceded a 94th minute Marcus Rashford penalty to lose 3-1 at the Parc de Princes and crash out of the competition on away goals.

United got the better of Tuchel again in matchday one of this season’s Champions League group stages, but PSG ultimately had the last laugh with a 3-1 win at Old Trafford which contributed to the Red Devils‘ group stage elimination.

The German faces United for the first time as Chelsea manager on Sunday as the Blues welcome the Red Devils to Stamford Bridge. Ahead of the fixture, Tuchel has revealed that the 2019 loss to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was a real career low point.

„I can be very honest — after that match I was two days in a very dark place, I was not able to speak to anybody and to think about anything else than this defeat,“ Tuchel said (via the Daily Mail.) „That may be the worst defeat that I experienced because it came from nowhere.

„I didn’t experience anything like this ever again or before. It was like it came from absolutely nowhere and that’s why this hit was hard to take. That was a special situation and that’s why it hurt me a lot because I wanted it for my team, for the club so bad.“

PSG would go on to reach Champions League final the following season, channelling the previous year’s heartbreak.

„It was adversity and it’s often said that it makes you stronger,“ Tuchel added. „Am I a good loser? So, so…but show me a good loser at this level. We love the competition and we love to win. This is what we will hopefully get tomorrow.“