3 Reasons Why Thomas Tuchel Has Been a Smart Appointment by Borussia Dortmund

There's an unwritten rule in German journalism that gives a new government 100 days to get settled in and start showing results before it gets judged. A few days ago, Thomas Tuchel passed the mark of 100 days as head coach of Borussia Dortmund. 

Tuchel's appointment, in short, has been a success. His record-breaking start, with 11 wins out of 11, proved as much.

Here are three reasons why Tuchel has been a smart appointment.

Tuchel's Personality

When Jurgen Klopp told the media he was going to leave the club at the succession of last season, it meant the end of an era. In many ways, the charismatic 48-year-old represented the club in a one-man show—even if that was never his intention. 

Dortmund's supporters would have been forgiven for being sceptical about Klopp's successor. Tuchel was portrayed by the German media as being a brusque know-it-all with a temper. The "sideline-pacing, referee-excoriating Tuchel," as Deutsche Welle called the coach, seemingly lacked the integrative qualities his predecessor had in abundance.

Klopp was a masterful conductor of the masses of the Westfalenstadion. Tuchel is not. But, as it turns out, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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Tuchel's appointment has refocused the club. As Thomas Hennecke wrote for German magazine Kicker (via FourFourTwo), "the team is the star."

Tuchel doesn't have the larger-than-life personality Klopp exuded every step of the way. He is a painstakingly meticulous coach—all football, all the time.

Tuchel's Tactical Acumen

Tactical limitations were among the biggest problems of the later stages of Klopp's tenure, culminating in a wholeheartedly disappointing 2014/15 campaign. "He was not able to introduce a stable, more possession-orientated style that was required against deep-sitting Bundesliga sides," wrote tactics blogger Constantin Eckner. 

Enter Tuchel, the man who's famous for introducing the word "Matchplan" into German football vocabulary. In his time at Mainz, the 42-year-old notoriously adjusted his side for almost every opponent they would face.

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At Dortmund, Tuchel has quickly branded a unique playing style. "Instead of discarding what worked well, Tuchel has added improved possession attacking and positional play to the side's arsenal without diminishing their strengths," wrote sbnation.com's Michael Caley.

Tuchel's Dortmund embrace possession—in years past they struggled with it. Thanks to "a much better positional structure, Tuchel’s side are capable of developing ball possession more effectively," noted Tom Payne for spielverlagerung.com.

Bar the 5-1 thrashing in Munich, Dortmund were the better side in every game this season. That is, in large part, thanks to Tuchel's tactical approach.

Tuchel's Magic Touch

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Tuchel convinced Henrikh Mkhitaryan to stay at the club. The Armenian thanked his new coach with an impressive start to the season.

Tuchel approved the signing of Julian Weigl. The 19-year-old has become perhaps the most important player in Dortmund's system.

Tuchel put Matthias Ginter at right-back. The centre-back by trade has assisted eight goals already.

These are just three examples for the successful personnel decisions made by Dortmund's new man in charge. "Perhaps aided by coming from outside, the new man has no hierarchies, sense of obligation or favour," wrote Andy Brassell for FourFourTwo.

That isn't to say every decision has paid immediate dividends so far. Playing right-back Lukasz Piszczek on the left side of the defence against Bayern was a curious move, while Ginter has struggled defensively at right-back. 

But overall, Tuchel's personnel decisions have aided the club's impressive start to the season. After last season's fiasco that was the signing of Ciro Immobile for a reported €19,5 million, there's something to be said about having a very solid transfer window and a coach who knows how to use the players at his disposal.

While the jury is still out on Tuchel's Dortmund over the long haul, the early returns show his appointment was a shrewd decision. Dortmund fans can be happy with Tuchel's first 100 days and know their beloved club is seemingly in capable hands.

Lars is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.