Pep Guardiola still has work to do in Bayern
Pep Guardiola is in a fix now. Last week’s humbling at Camp Nou at the hands of his home club Barcelona has left him and his team facing an uphill struggle to make it another Champions league final.
Newspapers have been swarming with news of Bayern parting ways with Guardiola after the humiliation while news of Manchester City being linked with the Spaniard is music to the Citizens. Guardiola has won the Bundesliga again by a wide margin, and it can be argued as to whether the league is competitive enough for Bayern or not.
After winning the league with games to spare, the Bavarians haven’t been sharp and focused while a sense of complacency has crept within the players which resulted in losses in the league at the hands of lower ranked teams.
There is no question regarding how talented and well drilled the Bayern team is, but such a laid back attitude from the players even if they have nothing to play for anymore is not an outlook, a Champion team should portray.
Due to such an attitude, they were steamrolled by a brilliant and motivated Barcelona side which seems to have ended the hopes of playing a final in Berlin. Guardiola’s possession game was battered by a fast and cutting edge Barcelona attack which also brings into question Pep’s stagnation of his tactics and their credibility against the big teams.
More from The Top Flight
- Barcelona identify Newcastle star as Robert Lewandowski replacement
- Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta confirms “rapid” attacker suffered injury
- “600 days” Fans make SHOCK Chelsea revelation – They really are poor
- Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta rivals Manchester United for wonderkid
- Manchester United: Erik ten Hag pinpoints 4 players amid Brighton loss
Manchester City will be closely seeing the return leg where Bayern will try to overturn the deficit against Barcelona, and will be optimistic if Bayern does not go through which may end Guardiola’s tenure at Bayern.
But I think even if Bayern does not make the uphill climb against Barcelona, I don’t think Pep will move anywhere in the summer. Bayern are already dominating the German league, so winning the league isn’t the main priority. The main objective will be to win the Champions League especially when Guardiola took over from a treble winning coach.
The season under Heynckes was said to be a perfect season where they won the league, the German Cup and the Champions league. Many questions were asked when Pep was appointed as the Jupp’s successor as to what can Pep do more. Well, the answer was simple, it is to repeat the same, and he hasn’t been able to do it till now.
In his two seasons he has been able to retain the league trophy along with the German Cup and the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup but has failed to retain the most important Champions League which is the main reason he won’t move anywhere until he achieves it.
“I have said it 200 million times that I have one more year on my contract here, next season I will be here and that’s all there is to it.”
– Pep Guardiola
If he fails to retain the Champions league, then his tenure with Bayern will not be seen in good graces and to some extremists it can be deemed as a failure.
He already denied rumors linking him with the Citizens which goes to show he will be in Munich as he unfinished business there. I don’t think he will be leaving even if his contract ends because he will be hell bent on retaining the European title.
His two European titles have come when he was with Barcelona. Although it is highly commendable that he won two Champions Leagues trophies with the same team, it is quite another challenge to win it in a different country where one hasn’t been before. Mourinho did it and Guardiola will also try for the same.
Pep is there to stay and he won’t go anywhere until and unless he reaches the pinnacle of Europe with this immensely talented Bayern Munich he has under his disposal.