Pep Guardiola believes that the incessant gossip about players who might be leaving Bayern Munich has meant that the immediate impact of the just-arrived Douglas Costa has gone unnoticed.
The Bayern manager tried to put that right Wednesday as the German giants arrived in the bustling southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou.
“He has great one-on-one skills, he is strong, he gives us options and he will just keep on improving,a said Guardiola of Costa.
But the Brazilian may again be overshadowed on Thursday, this time by his superstar countryman Robinho who is set to make his debut for Bayern’s pre-season friendly opponents Guangzhou Evergrande.
Costa a a 30 million euro ($32.7 million) signing from Shakhtar Donetsk at the start of this month a has starred for Bayern on their so-far victorious tour of China.
A 4-1 defeat of Valencia in Beijing on Saturday was followed by a 1-0 win against Inter Milan in Shanghai on Tuesday with the 24-year-old Costa a constant threat on the flanks.
“We have been adjusting the way we have been playing and I am happy with the results,a said Guardiola.
“The players are improving their physical conditioning. We have welcomed Douglas Costa into the team and you can already see what he will add to us.a
There have been standout performances also from the two players who have been the subject of big transfer rumours during Bayerna s sojourn to the Far East.
The German giants have already lost star midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United this summer.
Thomas Mueller — a reported 100 million euro ($109 million) target also of Manchester United — scored twice on Saturday against Valencia and again looked dangerous after tucking in behind Costa against Inter on Tuesday.
And Germany’s World Cup final winning goalscorer Mario Gotze — rumoured as a target for Italian giants Juventus — slotted home the only goal against the side from Milan.
By AFP .