The German coach has proven to be one of the Catalan's toughest opponents, and they will meet again in this season's Champions League quarter-finals
Pep Guardiola has had many great coaching rivalries, and more often than not he has come out on top when it matters most. But his battle with Thomas Tuchel is the exception.
So imagine how the Catalan must have felt upon hearing the news that the German had been named as coach of Bayern Munich just weeks before Manchester City's quarter-final tie against the Bundesliga giants.
Guardiola and Tuchel have known each other for a decade and their rivalry is built on respect and admiration, not bitterness. They even consider each other as friends.
"He's so creative,"Guardiola said of the German last year. "One of the few managers I learn constantly from to develop as a better manager.
"[He is] excellent in all departments. I enjoyed him since he was inMainz. I enjoy watching his teams and the way he's playing and the approach. He makes world football better."
Whether he'll quite feel that way once the tie has been played out over the next couple of weeks, though, remains to be seen…
Getty ImagesUnfinished business
There must be a deep sense of frustration for Guardiola that Tuchel beat him in the 2021 Champions League final, the crowning glory in three successive victories for Chelsea over City inside two months.
City beat Tuchel's Chelsea twice since then, but there remains a sense that Guardiola has unfinished business with his old friend.
Tuchel is the one top manager who Guardiola cannot say he has managed to dominate.
The Catalan's world-beating Barcelona side outclassed Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in two Champions League finals.
He also had the upper hand over Jose Mourinho in Spain during a turbulent two-year saga when the Portuguese was in charge of Real Madrid, while Guardiola was unquestionably the winner when he and Mourinho were on opposite sides of the divide in Manchester.
The Catalan has had a compelling and gripping rivalry with Jurgen Klopp too, but has ultimately lifted four Premier League titles to the Liverpool boss' one.
Tuchel, however, is the manager who wrecked City's hopes of winning the quadruple and ensured his long wait to get his hands on the Champions League trophy again would drag on.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesA rivalry spanning 10 years
When Guardiola first came up against Tuchel in October 2013, he was already a double-Champions League winner, while his opponent was in the early stages of his career, doing an impressive job at unglamorous Mainz.
When his Bayern Munich side easily beat Mainz 4-1 that afternoon, or recorded a 2-0 away win later in the season, it is unlikely Guardiola would have felt threatened by the man in the adjacent dugout, even if he had admired the way his side played.
But little did he know that in years to come the gangly German would turn into one of his greatest rivals.
Guardiola and Tuchel met again two years later when the latter was in charge of Borussia Dortmund, and their first meeting in was another cakewalk for the Catalan, his side running riot in a 5-1 win.
But that would be one of the last times he enjoyed such domination over Tuchel.
Dortmund held Bayern to a 0-0 draw in their next league game, and in the final of the 2016 DFB-Pokal at the end of the season, although the Bavarians did win the penalty shootout to give Guardiola a glorious farewell from his three years in charge.
Guardiola headed to England and enjoyed a blissful five years without coming up against Tuchel. But when Chelsea sacked Frank Lampard in January 2021 they turned to a man who had recently been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain, and so began a manic two-month period in which Guardiola was given the runaround by his old adversary.
Getty ImagesQuadruple-busting – with help from Pep roulette
City had tangible hopes of becoming the first English side to win all four major trophies in the 2020-21 season, but their plans were wrecked by Tuchel and Chelsea, who won a cagey FA Cup semi-final 1-0.
Tuchel had turned Chelsea from a dishevelled mess in the last days of Lampard into a highly organised unit that ran on military-like precision, and at an empty Wembley Stadium, Chelsea ceded the ball to City yet starved them of space.
Although Guardiola's side had more chances, Chelsea had the better opportunities, and Hakim Ziyech broke the deadlock in the second half, sliding home to meet a Timo Werner cross.
It was Tuchel's first win against Guardiola from six attempts and it would not be his last. But it could also be argued that Guardiola had plotted his own downfall.
He had made eight changes from the side that had beaten Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League a few days earlier, and his second-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen was particularly guilty of bad positioning for the goal.
Getty ImagesAguero's bungled Panenka sparks Chelsea comeback
Guardiola's first Premier League meeting with Tuchel looked set to be a glorious occasion, with a victory enough for the Etihad Stadium outfit to seal the title.
And City got off to a strong start when Raheem Sterling put them ahead before half-time, and moments later they won a penalty.
But Sergio Aguero's botched attempt at a 'Panenka' was easily saved by Edouard Mendy, and Chelsea launched a comeback, Ziyech equalising before Marcos Alonso's injury-time winner.
City had to put their champagne on ice, and while the result mattered little as they were confirmed champions three days later, no-one could ignore that Tuchel had beaten Guardiola twice in two attempts.