When Pep Guardiola took over from Jupp Heynckes, his immediate concern would have been to replicate the success that Bayern had under the German. But 6 months down the line, having set the base for another trophy laden season, there is a need for the Spaniard to build a legacy in Bavaria.
In big conglomerates there is the CEO, in whose image a great establishment can be built. In military forces there is the General who devises the strategies according to which the major wars are fought. Likewise in team sports there is the manger who decides whether his team produce a timeless classic a la Monet or a rendition that is consigned to the dustbin before the spectators leave the stadium.
Pep Guardiola is one of the few men in elite sport who belongs to the former category, who has the vision to create a masterpiece and to perfect it to such an extent that it becomes kind of second nature to the young men who are charged with bringing it to fruition. At Barcelona, Pep left a legacy of the tiki-taka, a kind of football which is so beautiful to see for the neutrals but which leaves the opposition in a dizzy according to the former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pep must have known that a great club like Barcelona which always prided itself on being different from the rest of Spain needed to go back to a style which they could call their own. A style which would capture the hearts and minds of the proud Catalans and one which would befit the motto Mes que un club.
But it can be argued that Guardiola never really revolutionized the way that Barcelona played football. What he did was simply implement the philosophy that Johan Cruyff brought to Catalonia in the late eighties and early nineties through the dream team. It must be remembered that Cruyff was a part of the total football concept which became a rage in Holland and in particular Ajax during the Rinus Michels era. What Cruyff did then was adapt the way Michels set up his teams to a style more suited to Barcelona. As a result of this transformation he created a philosophy which to this day acts as a central tenet for all the Barca coaches.
Therefore, if Pep Guardiola is to truly build an image of himself as someone who has changed the way football is thought of and played, he must do so at Bayern Munich. This is a club which has been one of the power houses in European football over the decades but quite surprisingly does not have a football philosophy of note. Its success in the 60ai??i??s and 70ai??i??s was built on the famous German mentality of always finding a way to win rather than a style of play. To be mentioned as a true great, Guardiola must take on a role at Bayern similar to what Cruyff took at Barcelona. To achieve this result he must do two things.
Firstly, he must stay with the Bavarian giants for a significant amount of time. A short stay at Bayern even if it is a trophy laden one, reminiscent of his time with Barcelona, will not be good enough. If he is to truly mould the way football is thought of and played at Bayern he must take his time. Only then will he be able to inspire a generation of youth team players and coaches to carry on his methods.
In this respect he must differentiate himself from his great rival Jose Mourinho. With Mourinho it can be safely said that he is a great winner of trophies but he has never built a team let alone a footballing culture which has sustained itself after he left. Joseai??i??s Chelsea and Inter Milan sides quickly disintegrated after his departure.
Secondly, and most importantly he must build a culture of youth team players graduating into the senior team. Die Bayern already boast of several first teamers who are academy products but this tradition must continue despite the need to win silverware every season. Guardiola will be well aware from his days in Catalonia that a team based on a fulcrum of home grown players, who know each other inside out, is incredibly hard to stop. At La Masia one had Iniesta, Fabregas, Pique, Messi, et al. living and playing together right from the age of 10. A similar culture will have to be propagated at the performance centres at Bayern.
At 43 years of age Pep Guardiola has another 25 years at the top, if he wants it. What he does during that time will define whether he is mentioned in the same breath as Lobanovsky, Michels & Ferguson. He will also know that he might not get a better chance of cementing himself amongst the greats than at Bayern Munich FC.
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