In amongst the flying bullets and fog of war that descended upon Munich this week, an intriguing comment from Pep Guardiola was somewhat overlooked.
On Monday evening whilst defending himself from some frank criticisms from Giovanni Trapattoni and Ottmar Hitzfeld, his predecessors, who dismissed Bayern Munich’s playing style as boring and their manager as a tactic-obsessed freak respectively, Guardiola let slip that he would not necessarily play the same way at Manchester City.
Bayern’s chastening Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid 24 hours later provided more ammunition for Guardiola’s critics, particularly as Diego Simeone’s remarkable side achieved it playing in a way that could not be more different to their hosts’, but City fans should not worry that the Spaniard will panic and bring a route one gameplan to the Etihad Stadium next season.
The former Barcelona manager remains as committed to the possession game as he was at the Nou Camp despite suffering three successive defeats in the Champions League semi-finals.
Bayern’s European travails have demonstrated that no style or strategy is flawless, which of course is an integral part of football’s charm, but City fans have nothing to fear.
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While Guardiola’s extraordinary record of winning 80 of the 100 Bundesliga matches he has contested is too easily dismissed it would be even more foolish to overlook his feat of reaching the Champions League semi-finals for seven years in succession, even allowing for the great players at his disposal.
Barcelona failed to reach the last four this season of course, while Real Madrid endured five successive seasons of failing to get beyond the last 16 until José Mourinho joined the club in 2010. The mini-era of that triumvirate of super clubs has meant that Guardiola’s achievements are underestimated, which in large part can be attributed to his own consistency.
Guardiola will leave Munich with his reputation slightly tarnished despite the club’s ongoing domestic dominance after failing to replicate Jupp Heynckes’ treble, but it would be ludicrous to label him as a failure. The football his side have played – and continued to play even when under the greatest of pressure – has been a joy to behold and will be a welcome addition to the Barclays Premier League.
If anything, this year’s Champions League exit was Guardiola’s unluckiest and he is paying for past failures - the heavy 4-0 and 3-0 defeats to Real Madrid and Barcelona of the last two seasons. Bayern were utterly dominant in amassing 37 attempts on goal last night, and if Thomas Müller had scored from the penalty spot to give them a 2-0 lead then even Atletico’s formidable team spirit may have wilted.
Guardiola has made mistakes, with the criticism that is most likely to stick – and which Hitzfeld referenced so colourfully – being his tendency to overthink things and tinker incessantly.
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Müller’s omission from the first leg in Madrid last week seemed bold at the time and with hindsight was an error, while he appears to lack the close bond with his players which is so clearly evident amongst Simeone’s Atletico.
Guardiola was defiant in defeat last night, insisting he is proud of his body of work in Munich, as he has every right to be. Managing City is set to be the biggest challenge of his career so far, but he can at least console himself with the thought that if he wins the title every season he will not be called a failure.