When Pep Guardiola made his intentions of leaving Bayern Munich known at the Christmas party, one must wonder how many of the players and staff would have continued to enjoy the rest of the evening. From a recent interview by Bayern legend and chief executive, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, there was a strong indication that they could see it coming. There had been similar statements by the Bayern hierarchy in the recent past about how Bayern were not dependent on a single coach.
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Coaches come and go, but the club moves on. They are acutely aware of how Bayern has transformed from a counter attacking side to an innovative, tactical and unpredictable monster on the pitch. What has been utterly surprising though – none of the Bayern players have given out a strong reaction in the media. Philipp Lahm has been utterly composed while there have been muted reactions from Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Robert Lewandowski and co.
With Ancelotti coming into the frame to replace the Spanish manager at the Bundesliga club, Bayern have a proven winner to take over. The Italian does not approach a football game with a Kasparov mindset. Instead, he lets players do the talking on the football pitch, intervening only when he feels it is an absolute necessity.
Guardiola rang in the changes but suffered in Champions League
I clearly remember how fans flocked to Allianz Arena to witness Guardiola’s first training session with Bayern. Even though all first team players were not available for that session, it was still a joy to watch how rigorous his methods were – even when it comes to merely passing and holding the ball. From that day on, the training sessions at Bayern have been extremely intense and have required a greater amount of dedication from the players. Sabener Strasse soon became Guardiola’s home.
But something has been missing ever since he took over at Bayern. There were fears that Bayern would become a monotonous passing machine. Even though the Bundesliga crown was delivered for two straight years, and likely a third in 2016, that is looked upon as a bare minimum that was expected.
What has irked the fans the most is Bayern’s inability to reach the Champions League final. Twice in the semi-finals now, they have been beaten exceptionally by Spanish leaders – Real Madrid and Barcelona. The manner in which those defeats came about has not gone unnoticed within Bayern’s hierarchy.
Guardiola’s tactics were to blame on both occasions because, in a matter of 20 freaky minutes, Bayern had lost their shape, compactness, concentration and eventually the tie as well. The players gave it their all but it appeared that somewhere Guardiola focused too much on seizing the advantage as early as possible.
In the middle of it all, it was forgotten that Bayern were playing the Spanish leaders instead of any other German club.
Will Bayern’s luck turn around in 2016?
So what is different about Guardiola’s side this season? To be fair – except for some new faces and cutting off some dead wood – Bayern have stuck to his principles which are reaping dividends for them in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
Now that Guardiola’s intention of leaving is well known, and will have been digested by the time the Champions League knockout stages begin, we could see a similar Bayern that rose to the summit under Jupp Heynckes.
The players felt compelled then to send their coach out on a high and I see no reason why they will not be committed to this cause again. Guardiola’s announcement could be a blessing in disguise for the German giants and there could be an emergence of greater team spirit on display.
With the amount of time Guardiola has invested in the players – opening their minds to a completely different perspective and teaching them new tricks – all the good work has been done. It is now time for the players to put all that learning in to perspective and lead the team to the Champions League final at the San Siro – that is the bare minimum.
They have a tricky opponent in Juventus in the Round of 16. But something tells me that Guardiola has prepared them well to go all the way.
