The break up between Pep Guardiolaand Bayern Munich looks as if it’s going to be a very messy one. On transfer deadline day last month, Manchester City announced that they had acquired the services of the highly sought after manager and he would be taking over from the start of next season. This comes after Guardiola made it clear earlier in the season that he wouldn’t extend his contract with the German champions and he wanted to continue his managerial career in the Premier League. Guardiola’s decision to leave at the end of the season hasn’t been taken very well by some.
During yesterday’s game against SV Darmstadt 98 Bayern fans used a banner which read “Pep was never our thing.” This was a strong statement regarding how fans felt about the decision of the Spaniard. The decision hasn’t left the club in a state of chaos as they remain on course to retain the Bundesliga title for a 4th successive season as well as being highly fancied to win the DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League. Since taking over at the Bavarian club, Guardiola has implemented a more Spanish style of Football and tried to mix it in with the traditional football that Die Roten play; he has somewhat underwhelmed in his role, despite winning back to back Bundesliga titles success on the European stage has eluded the club and considering that he managed to win the treble with Barcelona and Bayern Munich won the treble the season before he joined it could be seen as regression.
The situation regarding Pep Guardiola’s exit could get worse from now until the end of the season as Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal revealed that players didn’t find out about the manager’s exit from the man himself. He said “It was strange and we only learned about it by watching TV”, for those associated with the club, it is definitely worrying to see that there is a lack of communication between the manager and players even if it hasn’t translated onto the pitch.
Guardiola will be working hard to ensure success on all fronts for Bayern Munich this season and has insisted that the forthcoming role in England isn’t on his mind.
Whether England is on Guardiola’s mind or not, his move to the Premier League makes for an interesting proposition, with Jose Mourinhobeing linked to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur moving from strength to Strength under Mauricio Pochettino, Arsenal finally having found some consistency and Chelsea reportedly looking at Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte.
The Premier League race in 2016/17 is one that all football fans will want to watch.
The loss of Guardiola will be a huge one for the club, however they have already announced that former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will be taking over at the start of next season; as a manager who has a proven recorded in domestic and European competition, it’s hard to argue that the Bavarians will be felt in the long term.
