Pep Guardiola: I don’t want Bayern Munich to be another Barcelona

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that he does not want to turn his side into a Barcelona clone and says the club is far bigger than his ideas.

The Bundesliga champions have adopted a different style to the one that led them to Champions League glory last season under Jupp Heynckes, but Guardiola is adamant that he will respect the club’s culture.

The former Barcelona boss believes that Bayern are too big and different to emulate other teams and insists he will adapt to their ideals instead.

“The mentality is different, and the style, the environment, the culture, the players too,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “This club has won too much to copy others. I came here because I wanted to coach these players.

“Bayern Munich are bigger than my ideas. I have only to maintain last season’s level, of an unbeatable team that played in an incredible way. A coach must understand the qualities of his men and be able to take advantage of these.”

The German champions have adopted a much more patient build-up this season under Guardiola, attempting 6388 passes with an average accuracy rate of 88 per cent – significantly more than their nearest Bundesliga rivals.

The German champions have adopted a much more patient build-up this season under Guardiola, attempting 6388 passes with an average accuracy rate of 88 per cent – significantly more than their nearest Bundesliga rivals.