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Last year, two teams were drawn to face each other in the Champions League semifinals. One was a German club while the other was Spanish. When FCB (Futbol Club Barcelona) and FCB (Football Club Bayern Munich) clashed, the result was shocking.
The Bavarians gave the Catalans a hiding and there was one man who would have felt both pain and pleasure after the ultimate 7-0 aggregate score. The man in question is Pep Guardiola.
The man who managed Barcelona to the pinnacle of football was on a sabbatical and had already gained his next appointment as coach of Bayern Munich. Measuring his former employers against his next team would have been fascinating. Watching Bayern Munich over the two legs, especially in the first, was a treat to watch.
They were strong at the back, physical in midfield, creative in attack and deadly in front of goal. For me the Bayern Munich of Jupp Heynckes was as close to the perfect team as there can be.
Pep Guardiola has been handed the unenviable job of making the best even better. And I have a strong feeling that he will fail. Now I am not being a killjoy when I say this, but I think the philosophy Guardiola wants to implement is not in the best interest of the Bavarians.
He has offloaded Mario Gomez and brought in Mario Gotze. This leaves the whole Munich squad with only one recognized striker of European pedigree, Mario Mandzukic. Bringing in Gotze will surely disrupt the chemistry developed by Mueller, Ribery and Robben.
Further Xherdan Shaquiri could be a victim of the overhaul brought on by the former Barcelona man. Along with Eden Hazard, Shaquiri is certainly the best young winger in the world. And while he got a decent run out last season while deputizing for Ribery and Robben, Gotze’s arrival would change that.
Now moving on to the intent declared by Guardiola to sign Thiago Alcantara. The Spanish under-21 captain has decided to bid adieu to Barcelona because of a lack in game time he received there. Alcantara is at his best if he lies deep in midfield and dictates play. But, Bayern Munich already have the best combination in the world to do that- the pair of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez. They were the cornerstone of the team last season and with time they can only improve. To break such a pair would amount to sheer recklessness in my view.
If Guardiola decides that he wants to play Thiago higher up the field, a new problem occurs. He would have to compete with Gotze, Mueller, Ribery, Robben and Kroos for a place in the squad. If he does make it to Munich, one of two things could happen. Either he would warm the bench, or he would break a group that is at it’s absolute peak as a team.
Now Guardiola has never employed the 4-2-3-1 as a formation. He likes to play a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3. Both these shapes are ill-suited to the Bavarian squad. And a major reason for Bayern’s success last season was their shape.
In a 4-2-3-1, every area of the pitch was covered. The front three all defended from the front, while the midfielders closed down spaces and forced play to go wide. When the opposition tried to attack through the wings they found the wingers and fullbacks blocking them. Bayern won the ball back and launched excellent counterattacks. Their shape ensured that even while they broke, they were never undermanned in defense.
Applying a 4-3-3 will undermine Bayern’s midfield dominance. Against teams like Borrusia in Germany or say Juventus or Real Madrid in Europe, they would be defeated in midfield.
Bringing a 3-4-3 or even a 3-5-2 will add instability to a team that thrives on routine. The width that Bayern used to such great effect last season will vanish and men such as Gustavo and Martinez would be the worst affected.
Everyone knows that when big names do not play, there is tension in the dressing room. If Pep gets Alcantara, Martinez would be the man who would be sacrificed. Kroos and Mueller already face a survival for relevance and while some might say that the competition would breed hunger and excellence, I believe it would foster insecurity among the ranks.
Also the way Guardiola wants his teams to play is radically different than what Bayern Munich are so good at. Bayern keep possession, but not with worthless passing. Unlike Barcelona they value the quality of passing over quantity of passing.
They use long balls and whip in crosses. Both features were absent in Pep’s Barcelona. They use their wingers as battering rams and created space for the midfield to advance. Guardiola prefers that his wingers hug the touchline. The world knows that the pair of Robben and Ribery are at their best when they cut infield.
Guardiola is affected by a problem that affects all managers. Like every manager, Guardiola too wants to build his ‘own’ team. There can only be two results for Pep at the Allianz Arena, either mind-boggling success or spectacular failure. I am inclined to tilt towards the latter.
