Pep Guardiola is a popular football coach, whose methods bring debate among Bayern fans. What perspective can FC Barcelona fans give us about him?

I interviewed Enrique Schoch, blogger at TotalBarça, to get some of that insight from a fan who has seen Pep at the helm of his favourite club for four years.

Bayern Central: Pep Guardiola and his tactics/methods divide fans. Some trust in him, while some think that he should experiment less. Some even want him out. How much of that did you go through as Barcelona fans during his tenure?

Enrique Schoch: A little bit of a divide came about in the final season, but certainly not in his first two. But frankly, given his historic trophy haul at Barça, criticism holds little water. I’d continue in the same vein for his time in Bavaria.

Wishing for Pep to experiment less is an immensely unfair expectation. Only through testing, trial and, yes, sometimes even error, are new ideas and innovation born. Pep is who he is – he constantly wants to challenge himself and accepted notions. Not only is wishing for him to get comfortable unfair, its redundant.

He experimented at Barça throughout his tenure, more so in the final year, and he does it to keep the players motivated, on their toes and do the same for himself. You can only stay ahead of the curve by trying things, whether at Barça, Bayern, in football or any other pursuit. It’s pretty simple.

And wishing for #PEPOUT is absurd. He’s one of a handful of truly inspired minds in the game and anybody wishing for his exit has certainly never read Pep Confidential. The guy is revered by players like few are and ever will be. Barça nation would welcome Pep back in a heartbeat. It certainly won’t happen for at least five to six years, but if the stars one day align, it would be insanity not to see where a second rollercoaster ride would end.

Bayern Central: Pep has the reputation of imposing his philosophy as he coaches a team. Do you think he has the required flexibility to make changes to it to make a difference in big games? How did he handle that at Barcelona?

Enrique Schoch: For better or worse (I certainly side on “better”), Pep is unwavering on the way he sees football. In fact, his biggest regret of his first season with Bayern was succumbing to the ideas of others and using a formation he didn’t believe in against Real Madrid. But mostly, I don’t see the issue of Pep imposing his philosophy, a philosophy that boasts a near 75% win ratio as a manager and more trophies than anyone over that period.

I don’t think he needs to be flexible or is inflexible when it comes to big games. He’s proven he can win them more often than not and at the very least get his teams to big occasions consistently year to year. Nobody can ever win them all, Pep included, so I subscribe with his belief that rather go out there and do it your way, play to your strengths than try to defend against another’s strengths.

The best teams impose themselves on others and make them adapt, not vice versa. Plus he’s far more pragmatic than people know because of his “philosopher” mythology. He’s not Marcelo Bielsa – Pep plays to win, not to eulogize.

Pep putting Samuel Eto’o on the right wing in the 2008-09 Champions League final, or Messi’s famed 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid as a false-nine are two examples of where he made deliberate changes to a team with excellent results. He also consistently used Seydou Keita in more physical affairs, often away from home, much to the chagrin of fans who didn’t notice the nuances the Malian did. He’s never going to throw the baby out with the bath water, but he’s certainly smart enough to make changes he believes are for the better.

Bayern Central: What would you tell Bayern fans who currently express frustration with Pep’s ways?

Enrique Schoch: Be careful what you wish for. Given his trophy count thus far and incredible shattering of German and club records, it’s strange to constantly hear about so much frustration. I know it comes down to the style of play, and that I suppose is a thing of personal preference.

I suppose I’d tell people to open up their minds and give a chance to a different approach. It’s not like it’s cowardly defensive play. And savor the winning, because trust me, it won’t be there forever whether it’s Guardiola on the bench or otherwise.

Bayern Central: From your perspective, how has Pep evolved since joining Bayern, when considering his time in Catalonia?

Enrique Schoch: He’s bolder and more self assured it seems. Converting two of the best wing-backs into two of the best midfielders is something unique to his time in Bavaria compared to Catalonia. He’s also pushed the envelope regarding the notion of zones over formation, which is something that will become more prevalent in football in the future.

Bayern Central: Bayern has a front office made of several former players who are star managers of their own. Do you believe that this kind of work culture is compatible with him?

Enrique Schoch: Guardiola can’t have been clearer on this in Pep Confidential – he absolutely loves it. Pep feels more supported at Bayern than he was in his final years at Barça, and seeing the way all the Bayern brass talk him up its easy to understand why. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge speaks about Pep with a level of reverence that even took me aback. When Pep leaves, and he will sooner than later, it won’t be because of politics like at Barça, it will be because his appetite for new challenges is insatiable.

Thanks to Enrique for fielding our questions.