This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/sep/16/bayern-munich-pep-guardiola-manchester-city-champions-league

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Bayern aim to bounce back from Pep Guardiola’s ‘biggest cock-up of career’ Bayern aim to bounce back from Pep Guardiola’s ‘biggest cock-up of career’
(about 5 hours later)
Pep Guardiola took some time to congratulate his World Cup winners (Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Mario Götze ) before their first training session of the new season – about two minutes or so. Then the drills started again. “He was happy for us, of course, but there’s another job to do here,” Müller told the Guardian last week as Bayern stepped up their preparations for Wednesday night’s Champions League game against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola took some time to congratulate his World Cup winners (Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Mario Götze ) before their first training session of the season – about two minutes or so. Then the drills started again. “He was happy for us but there’s another job to do here,” Müller told the Guardian last week as Bayern stepped up their preparations for Wednesday night’s Champions League game against Manchester City.
The German internationals go into the new club campaign having already won the biggest of all prizes. Their Catalan coach is tasked with taking them to next best thing, another European Cup. That point of departure might present a challenge in itself. Captain Lahm hinted at the fact that Bayern were unable to replicate the same determination and hunger that they had shown in the treble-winning season during their last Champions League campaign, which ended with an inglorious 4-0 home defeat by Real Madrid in the semi-final. The German internationals go into the new club campaign having won the biggest of all prizes. Their Catalan coach is tasked with taking them to next best thing, another European Cup. That point of departure might present a challenge in itself. Lahm hinted at the fact Bayern were unable to replicate the same determination and hunger they had shown in the treble-winning season during their last Champions League campaign, which ended with an inglorious 4-0 home defeat by Real Madrid in the semi-final.
That match, described as “the biggest cock-up of my managerial career,” by Guardiola, plunged the club into a short but sharp crisis of confidence. The manager felt the board did not back him enough and threatened to sell lots of players, before a win in the DFB Cup final over Dortmund restored calm. Now, Guardiola has to do what he originally signed up for when he made up his mind to pitch up at Säbener Strasse back in October 2012, long before there were any signs of his predecessor Jupp Heynckes achieving the treble: he has to take Bayern up a level, to the very top of the tree. That match, described as “the biggest cock-up of my managerial career,” by Guardiola, plunged the club into a short but sharp crisis of confidence. The manager felt the board did not back him enough and threatened to sell lots of players, before a win in the DFB Cup final over Dortmund restored calm.
His biggest idea for the new campaign has already been thwarted, however. Javier Martínez was supposed to be the pivotal player in a three-man defence but the 26-year-old ruptured his cruciate ligament in the Supercup defeat by Dortmund and will be out for most of the season. The centre-back Holger Badstuber, who had missed almost two years with precisely the same knee injury, suffered a torn hamstring in the 2-0 win over Stuttgart on Saturday. That leaves two central defenders, Dante and Boateng, as well as new recruit Mehdi Benatia (€26m, AS Roma), who has not yet featured due to hamstring problems – not enough depth to play 3-4-3 throughout the season. Now, Guardiola has to do what he originally signed up for when he made up his mind to pitch up at Säbener Strasse back in October 2012, long before there were any signs of his predecessor Jupp Heynckes achieving the treble: he has to take Bayern up a level, to the very top of the tree.
Progress has also been hindered by the absence of Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcântara (both with knee problems) as pace-setters in the centre. Xabi Alonso has been drafted in late in the transfer window to provide presence as well as the diagonal passes that Toni Kroos (now occupying Alonso’s old starting berth in Madrid) used to excel in. The 32-year-old was so dominant against Stuttgart that Süddeutsche Zeitung felt that Bayern was now playing “Xabi-Alonso-Fussball”, rather than Guardiola’s customary short-passing game. His biggest idea has already been thwarted, however. Javier Martínez was supposed to be the pivotal player in a three-man defence but the 26-year-old ruptured his cruciate ligament in the Supercup defeat by Dortmund and will be out for most of the season. The centre-back Holger Badstuber, who had missed almost two years with precisely the same knee injury, suffered a torn hamstring in the 2-0 win over Stuttgart on Saturday. That leaves two central defenders, Dante and Boateng, as well as Mehdi Benatia (€26m from Roma), who has not yet featured due to hamstring problems – not enough depth to play 3-4-3 throughout the season.
According to Müller, however, the manager is far less dogmatic than many envisage. The new formation had not been set in stone either, he explained. “I think he simply wants to make us more flexible tactically, in order for him to be able to intervene more, to coach more during games,” said the 25-year-old. Progress has also been hindered by the absence of Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcântara (both with knee problems) as pace-setters in the centre. Xabi Alonso was drafted in late in the transfer window to provide presence as well as the diagonal passes that Toni Kroos (now occupying Alonso’s old starting berth at Real Madrid) used to excel in.
Bayern could certainly do with some fresh spark. There was a staleness to their game after the winter break, a lack of cutting edge that observers naturally blamed on Guardiola’s possession fetish. Müller sees it somewhat differently. “When you don’t get results, people are quick to blame the system,” he said. The 32-year-old was so dominant against Stuttgart that Süddeutsche Zeitung felt that Bayern was now playing “Xabi-Alonso-Fussball”, rather than Guardiola’s customary short-passing game.
“That’s easy to do. I don’t think you can win the double with a faulty system. And people often forget one small detail: There’s an opposition. As much as we’d like to have a quicker transition sometimes, it’s impossible if the other team is sitting deep and happy to concede the ball.” Guardiola himself was at times frustrated with Bayern’s “tiki-taka”. He understands the term the way it was originally coined in Spain, as a derogatory description of aimless, slow, directionless possession. “I hate it,” he is quoted in Marti Perarnau’s insightful book Pep Confidential, a blow-by-blow account of his first season in Bavaria. According to Müller, however, the manager is far less dogmatic than many envisage. The new formation had not been set in stone either, he explained. “I think he simply wants to make us more flexible tactically, in order for him to be able to intervene more, to coach more during games.”
The key to success at Bayern, in the manager’s estimation, is not necessarily the oft-cited “more direct approach” of Heynckes but simply quicker passing, more running and having players who can beat their opponents in the final third. Bayern, through a combination of things like winning the championship in March, injury problems and loss of form, were lacking in all those departments. The exalted levels of performance that they reached in the 3-1 win away to Manchester City could not be maintained. Bayern could certainly do with some fresh spark. There was a staleness after the winter break, a lack of cutting edge observers naturally blamed on Guardiola’s possession fetish. Müller sees it somewhat differently. “When you don’t get results, people are quick to blame the system,” he said. “That’s easy to do. I don’t think you can win the double with a faulty system. And people often forget one small detail: There’s an opposition. As much as we’d like to have a quicker transition sometimes, it’s impossible if the other team is sitting deep and happy to concede the ball.”
“The Champions League is like two competitions,” Müller said. “What you do in the group stage and in the knockout rounds are two different things.” Bayern’s shortcomings were brutally exposed by Real Madrid in the second semi-final leg, when Guardiola opted for a risky 4-2-4 system and a “headless” Bayern “ran into an open knife”, as Müller put it. Avoiding that fate against Manchester City will take priority on Wednesday night. Guardiola was at times frustrated with Bayern’s “tiki-taka”. He understands the term the way it was originally coined in Spain, as a derogatory description of aimless, slow, directionless possession. “I hate it,” he is quoted in Marti Perarnau’s insightful book Pep Confidential, a blow by blow account of his first season in Bavaria.
The key to success at Bayern, in the manager’s estimation, is not necessarily the oft-cited “more direct approach” of Heynckes but simply quicker passing, more running and having players who can beat their opponents in the final third. Bayern, through a combination of things like winning the championship in March, injury problems and loss of form, were lacking in all those departments. The exalted levels of performance they reached in the 3-1 win away to Manchester City could not be maintained.
“The Champions League is like two competitions,” Müller said. “What you do in the group stage and in the knockout rounds are two different things.”
Bayern’s shortcomings were brutally exposed by Real in the second semi-final leg, when Guardiola opted for a risky 4-2-4 system and a “headless” Bayern “ran into an open knife”, as Müller put it. Avoiding that fate against City will take priority on Wednesday night.