Bayern Munich must try their best to re-appoint Pep Guardiola, who has shockingly emerged as one of the candidates to replace the recently fired Niko Kovac.
German publication Bild are known for their outrageously inaccurate claims and this time, they have come up with yet another shocking rumour that Pep Guardiola is among the candidates listed to take in charge of Bayern Munich next season.
The club is also reportedly pursuing Erik ten Hag and Thomas Tuchel, who might just turn out to be the most hated person in Germany if he takes the job.
Regardless, it is believed that the Bayern hierarchy are absolutely certain Guardiola is unhappy at Manchester City and with the Catalan still owning a flat in the Munich city centre, it won’t be shocking to see him returning to Germany. After all, in 2016, Guardiola had said, “I will come back here, to Germany – maybe as a coach”.
From a sporting perspective, the current Manchester City manager is by far Bayern’s best option in permanently replacing Niko Kovac. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will take a closer look as to how Guardiola could once mastermind Bayern’s utter dominance in Germany.
A strong tactical philosophy
What Bayern have really lacked following the departure of Guardiola is the presence of a tactical identity. His successors, instead of laying down their own unique philosophy, seemed to have continued the possession-based style of play.
Although Kovac wanted his players to become more proactive and play a different style of football, the Croatian mastermind failed to get his message across the players. And better yet, most of these Bayern stars are still familiar with the Juego de posicion setup that was initially installed by Guardiola himself.
The Catalan’s return to that end could be a boost for the players, especially the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Joshua Kimmich and Philippe Coutinho, all of who are an ideal addition to Guardiola’s system.
He can actually improve players
Guardiola’s reign at Bayern was arguably better than that of Jupp Heynkces simply because the Spaniard did more than just winning trophies. He rejuvenated the careers of Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer while transforming the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski into world-class individuals.
Almost every other player in the previous Bayern Munich flourished under the tutelage of Guardiola. But, that hasn’t been the case, of late. In fact, the likes of Muller, Thiago and even Neuer have seen massive deterioration in their performance levels over the past couple of years.
Besides, new signings like Lucas Hernandez and Coutinho are yet to make an impact. But, given Guardiola’s tactical prowess, he might just be able to spark a new life to the Bayern team and improve all the upcoming players as well as revitalising the current crop of experienced individuals.
Muller, for one, hasn’t had a prolific campaign ever since Pep left the helm at Bayern. But the event of his potential return could rejuvenate the ageing German international. Same can be said for Thiago, who has now lost his place to Leon Goretzka in midfield.
Experience and communication
Guardiola has a strong relationship with the Bayern bosses including Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness. And as iterated earlier, he owns a flat at the city centre in Munich and is quite proficient speaking German as well.
But most importantly, the 48-year-old had spent three years managing in the Bundesliga and is, therefore, well documented about the league. Hence, he is unlikely to have any difficulties integrating to his new club. The Man City coach is also said to be a huge admirer of the German footballing system and hold the other Bundesliga managers at high esteem.
Same cannot be said for a host of other available options including Massimiliano Allegri and Jose Mourinho(though he can speak German pretty well), among many others.
