He fathered the ‘False 9’, gave hipsters a reason to believe in life again and made tactical connoisseurs weak at the knees, if not misty-eyed, but for new Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, there might just be such a thing as too much success.
Indeed, the Spaniard, who was unveiled as the Bayern coach on Monday, not only has the pressure of preceding a treble-winning season under Jupp Heynckes but also the task of following 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona. No job is easy, yet this one comes with an added element of mammoth-proportioned difficulty.
And it comes at a distinct crossroads in Guardiola’s relatively fledgling managerial career. This is, after all, only the 42-year-old’s second coaching job – and first managerial venture outside of Spain. Inevitably, then, the Spaniard has much to prove – even with his almost flawless reputation before him.
A new challenge?
The biggest question a non-believer could throw at Guardiola is why Bayern? The Spaniard left Barcelona in 2011 seeking – first, a break from the game – and then, a ‘new challenge’. But what exactly is challenging about managing a club that wins everything, has almost unlimited financial resources and possesses arguably the strongest squad in world football already?
Everyone, including Pep himself, is speaking of how massive a challenge this will be for him. Simply put, though, the more cynical among us cannot help but view the Spaniard’s managerial record as the sign of a man conveniently placed in the right place at the right time.
At the Nou Camp, where he inherited a magnificent side – including Lionel Messi, who destined for nothing but greatness – it seemed like odd, effortless clockwork. And now at the Allianz Arena, Guardiola has again inherited a near-perfect outfit. There has been no attempt to build something from the bottom, not even a go at taking a side struggling for titles – as Guardiola’s arch rival Jose Mourinho did with Chelsea and Inter Milan – and turning them into European powerhouses.
If the Spaniard is to prove his worth in Germany, he has to make his mark in the long-term – and not just by continuing the irrepressible body of work laid out by Heynckes.
Guardiola’s transfer dealings
Key in doing so will be Guardiola’s dealings in the transfer market. He has seemingly already made a significant move by helping with the capture of Mario Götze from Borussia Dortmund, but a major flaw in the past has been the Spaniard’s failure to buy and sell successfully. This aspect of management is vital in maintaining momentum. Manchester City won the 2011-2012 Premier League title in dramatic circumstances but poor transfer business the following summer restricted their chances of retaining the trophy. Similarly, at Barcelona, Guardiola’s purchases of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Javier Mascherano were three high-profile, high-value deals that fell some way short of achieving their aim. The 42-year-old must improve on his transfer record if he is to avoid a similar fate at Bayern.
Either way, it will be difficult to improve a virtually faultless side. Can Guardiola really repeat his initial success with Barcelona, especially in a foreign country where both football and management are vastly different? As the perfectionist we have all become accustomed to, will he last at a job where everything is already pretty much in place? And will he be as hungry after all of those trophies at the Nou Camp?
Bayern may provide the ultimate test of his longevity. At Barcelona, he left at the perfect time to leave his legacy intact. But in so doing, he also jumped ship knowing full well that the Catalan side had reached the end of its cycle, thereby rejecting the chance to stay with them through the downturn and bring them back up from the ashes.
Make no mistake, however, in Guardiola’s indisputably legendary time at the Nou Camp, Barcelona were a force to behold. And it is this reputation that is going to influence everybody’s thought process on what exactly the crafty Catalan is planning at Bayern.
The infamous ‘Plan B’
When Barca lost to Chelsea in that famous Champions League semi-final in 2012, Guardiola made it common knowledge that his side lacked a ‘Plan B’. At Bayern, there is no question that he will need to develop one.
In going about it, Mario Götze, Mario Mandžukić, Robert Lewandowski (potentially), Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben, Javi Martínez, Jerome Boateng are all going to give Pep some sleepless nights. To employ that successful ‘False 9’? To play a double pivot? To keep things how they are? Those questions will ensure Pep becomes an insomniac. The Allianz Arena is going to be a melting pot of football ideas and inventions.
Mario Götze: Bayern Munich’s Lionel Messi?
Nevertheless, amongst all the dispute, one thing is for certain: Mario Götze has an imperative role in all this. Activating his €37million release clause and not utilising him as an integral member is something that would be beyond the realm of anybody’s comprehension. Yet the German’s position may harm the formation and dynamic of the team and, perhaps resultantly, the mood in the dressing room.
It is ‘Mario mayhem’; a fragile situation – but surely the philosopher has it all planned? If Götze is used as a ‘False 9’, that obviously would leave no room for Mario Mandžukić and Mario Gomez. Those are two of the Bundesliga’s most lethal marksmen – they cannot just be swept aside because of a system that worked well for Guardiola in the past.
Indeed, such a move would not suit the strengths of the team: the wingers would need to adapt and Toni Kroos may be forced deeper so as not to step on Götze’s toes. The effects are endless. Plus, it begs the question: to what purpose would Lewandowski have served had he actually jumped ship? It does not tie in.
And there are, of course, further twists in the tale. L’Equipe revealed that Pep had asked Franck Ribéry if he could play in the ‘number 10’ slot; according to the publication, however, the Frenchman said no. It is understandable if you consider that Ribéry has a positional predilection for wide areas, which would serve Götze well if he were to operate as the ‘False 9’. Does this mean Pep should not play with natural width? Will he leave it to the full-backs to provide it?
That notion is shaky at best – the sturdy target man option seems better founded. In his press conference last Tuesday, Pep said that he only plans to change ‘little things’. This gives his vision great clarity. But what little things will he change?
Robben would most likely be a peripheral figure, regardless of how much tactical discipline he showed towards the end of last season. One couldn’t imagine Xherdan Shaqiri getting more game time than he did last term, either. Daniel Van Buyten and Boateng did hold the fort while the others went hunting, but Bayern could do with a world-class centre-back to partner Dante whilst Holger Badstuber recovers from injury.
What role can Thomas Müller play under Pep?
However, whatever alterations Pep plans on making, displacing the gangly-legged God of Bavaria shouldn’t be one of them. Thomas Müller may, at first sight, be the most awkward footballer that ever was. He possesses no scintillating trickery, he doesn’t have particularly frightening pace, and every time he runs, you fear for him and his instability. Even though he boasts a World Cup Golden Boot and a Champions League winner’s medal, the German seems the antithesis of what Guardiola’s teams are about: flair and style. But flip the coin and his intelligence and industry are exactly what make him the world-class freak of nature he is.
Beyond his talent, Müller is also a Bayern boy – and the fans love him. Guardiola won’t want to upset them; they are a massive part of the club, as the ‘50+1’ rule suggests. As Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeneß and Matthias Sammer accompanied Guardiola at his unveiling, their union was symbolic of how tight-knit the Bayern community is at the Allianz. Pep is used to that kind of environment; but now it is not his Catalan cradle – he has instead become an adopted son at this historic club.
A long way from home
And not only is he inheriting, perhaps, the world’s strongest squad after their most successful season, he is doing so far, far away from home.
Guillem Balague revealed in his biography ‘Another Way of Winning’ how emotional a man Pep can be, how the challenge of being a manager had taken its toll on him. In those desperate moments when he needed to hold it together, he had the likes of Tito Vilanova and Andoni Zubizarreta to give him strength. He will not have those figures in Germany. The effect that has on him will invariably translate to the players.
As much as the comfort of Barcelona helped him through his four years at the Nou Camp, so too did his understanding of it. He graduated from La Masia and he coached the ‘B’ team. He had an extensive knowledge of the system and the depth of the squad that he could call upon. He needed a holding midfielder that could read the game two pages ahead of everybody else, he needed a winger that would sacrifice himself tactically so that Lionel Messi would flourish on the frontline. Sergio Busquets and Pedro were more than success stories.
That is the area that he may struggle with at Bayern. The project will begin as an article of Heynckes’ legacy, but it will finish with La Senyera stripes running along the Allianz pitch. In time the current Bayern team will become Pep’s Bayern team. But to achieve that the Spaniard is going to have to dig deeper, look further and coach harder.
Related posts:
- Can Pep Guardiola transfer his tika-taka style of play to Bayern Munich?
- Pep Guardiola: An End Of An Era
- Champions League Tactical Preview: Arsenal versus Bayern Munich
- Are Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez the perfect midfield pivot?
