Pep Guardiola confirmed move to Bayern

iDave

Didnt see this coming but then again about I am mainly exposed to anglo or anglo influenced media that would hope he would take a Premier League job. Pep is Barcelona through and through so will be interesting to see him outside that bubble

Jamie Starr

Lennonist wrote: »

Smart move from Guardiola, the speculation in England was mainly about Chelsea. Going to Chelsea would ultimately end in chaos and failure for him. Look at what happened to Mourinho, Ancelotti and others when they were there.

Probably chaos, but I doubt he would've been a failure, at least in the traditional sense. Neither Mourinho, Ancelotti or DiMatteo could be called failures, unless you are adhering by Abromavich's definition of "failure".

Whatever about the strength of the Barcelona team he had to work with, the guy seems to be an extremely thoughtful, genuine sort, and it's reflected in this choice. Great team with a positive style of play, in a culture where they respect their legends and their football culture, which is coming into a very good period judging by the German international team.

I wish him the best of luck. Whether it goes well or sour for him, I think he's the type that will give the position the respect it deserves during his tenure. He's one of the few managers in the game I have any personal admiration for. For example, the way he's handled getting this new job, quietly and with dignity, makes me believe how little invested he is in his own legend- which is shocking for a relatively young man with nothing left to prove as a player or a manager.

My high opinion of him certainly won't be affected in the future by whether or not he drops everything when Ferguson retires and starts his new job at United.

Yakult

Couldn't have picked a better team tbh.

Ares

Excellent news. I'm going to be in Munich for the summer and possibly a few months afterwards. I'll try and get to a game or two, although they are mightily expensive.

I mean people are talking about him not having the same midfield, but christ he'll walk into a team with Martinez, Schweinsteiger and Kroos as a midfield three with Muller interchangeable with Kroos. With the likes of Robbe/Ribery/Shaqiri/Muller playing wide of Gomez.

Coupled with a strong Bavarian identity running through the team in Muller, Schweinsteiger, Badstuber and Lahm. Its perfectly set up for Guardiola, along with good production from below in the likes of Alaba coming through recently.

Corvo

Great team for Guardiola to pick. He has an excellent youth set up behind him, a lot of home grown players already plying their trade in the first team and he knows it is unlikely that any German player already in the team will want to leave (they rarely look elsewhere once they are with Bayern) It is a solid base to which he can then apply his own theories and beliefs.

He seems obsessed with learning and constantly improving his trade by first wanting to play in various countries (Spain, Italy, Qatar and Mexico) before building his reputation as a coach by starting in the lower league in Spain.

From reading his biography, he always respected the opinions of other coaches in the game (Ferguson, Van Gaal, Cryuff, Bielsa) and this seems like another learning step for him, though that might sound a bit stupid when you consider he won 14 titles in his time with Barcelona.

Hope he is very successful.

Rekop dog

I see Frank Rijkaard was sacked as Saudi Arabia manager today, remember when he was linked to all the top jobs after his time at Barca...

Fizman

Rekop dog wrote: »

I see Frank Rikjaard was sacked as Saudi Arabia manager today, remember when he was linked to all the top jobs after his time at Barca...

Nowhere near to the same extent as Pep in fairness.

Rekop dog

Fizman wrote: »

Nowhere near to the same extent as Pep in fairness.

Yeah but this is a man who won multi manager of the year awards both domestically and European and has since gone on to flatter to deceive to say the least. Pep is by no means a safe choice for Bayern imo, not saying he wont be a success but succeeding in a job with a group of insanely talented and highly self motivated players(Barca) can potentially scew someones perceived managerial abilities.

LuckyLloyd

Oh, in many respects he's unproven. There is no guarantee of success short term or long term like there might be if Mourinho went there.

Bodhisopha

Rekop dog wrote: »

Yeah but this is a man who won multi manager of the year awards both domestically and European and has since gone on to flatter to deceive to say the least. Pep is by no means a safe choice for Bayern imo, not saying he wont be a success but succeeding in a job with a group of insanely talented and highly self motivated players(Barca) can potentially scew someones perceived managerial abilities.

Highly self motivated? What do you mean by this?

eagle eye

Rekop dog wrote: »

Yeah but this is a man who won multi manager of the year awards both domestically and European and has since gone on to flatter to deceive to say the least. Pep is by no means a safe choice for Bayern imo, not saying he wont be a success but succeeding in a job with a group of insanely talented and highly self motivated players(Barca) can potentially scew someones perceived managerial abilities.

There is no such thing as a guarantee of success. Based on what he has done to this point in his career he is an excellent manager and a great appointment.

Corvo

Rekop dog wrote: »

Yeah but this is a man who won multi manager of the year awards both domestically and European and has since gone on to flatter to deceive to say the least. Pep is by no means a safe choice for Bayern imo, not saying he wont be a success but succeeding in a job with a group of insanely talented and highly self motivated players(Barca) can potentially scew someones perceived managerial abilities.

The club wasn't in the best of shape after Frank Rijkaard left it and Pep Guardiola turned it around in no time, taking huge decisions like ditching Ronaldinho and Deco (and Eto'o later on). He brought back a serious work ethic and sense of pride to the club. He drafted through Sergio Busquets and Pedro to the team from the lower leagues (and they made an immediate impact) and altered everything from diet to routines for the better.

Plus...14 trophies.

Your Airbag

Only a three year contract?

Perfect timing to take over from Fergie when he steps down.

Corvo

Your Airbag wrote: »

Only a three year contract?

Perfect timing to take over from Fergie when he steps down.

It would look that he actually had no interest in joining any of the "available" teams in England such as Manchester City or Chelsea.

If he does want to manage in England he is surely looking at United.

Otherwise...why wait?

Andersonisgod

The right choice. Going to a league where tactical understanding is very important (certainly more so than the quick, all action English league) in a country where technical quality is highly prized, where the national squad have such technical talent but are being called nearly men. To a club with history and tradition, and a very Bavarian influence in the squad. Pep arrives in Munich as the hero not only of Catalunya but of world football. It's a perfect match.

Moneymaker

Great decision imo. Good luck to him.

Rekop dog

Griffin1988 wrote: »

The club wasn't in the best of shape after Frank Rijkaard left it and Pep Guardiola turned it around in no time, taking huge decisions like ditching Ronaldinho and Deco (and Eto'o later on). He brought back a serious work ethic and sense of pride to the club. He drafted through Sergio Busquets and Pedro to the team from the lower leagues (and they made an immediate impact) and altered everything from diet to routines for the better.

Plus...14 trophies.

He also had the greatest player ever to play the game improving all the time during his reign which obviously helps, also Iniesta coming into his peak, dont think its the toughest decision ever to let waning talents with questionable attitudes go when you have players of that calibre coming through. Again i'm not saying he wont be a success but it would be naive not to have a reasonable level of doubt.

Corvo

Rekop dog wrote: »

He also had the greatest player ever to play the game improving all the time during his reign which obviously helps, also Iniesta coming into his peak, dont think its the toughest decision ever to let waning talents with questionable attitudes go when you have players of that calibre coming through. Again i'm not saying he wont be a success but it would be naive not to have a reasonable level of doubt.

I know what your saying. I suppose there are cases for and against. We will know soon enough for sure anyway.

Your Airbag

Your Airbag wrote: »

Only a three year contract?

Perfect timing to take over from Fergie when he steps down.

Yeah , because the premiership is so much better than the Bundesliga..

Your Airbag

Griffin1988 wrote: »

It would look that he actually had no interest in joining any of the "available" teams in England such as Manchester City or Chelsea.

If he does want to manage in England he is surely looking at United.

Otherwise...why wait?

Yes. Chelsea and City are the only two available right now as Fergie has said he will be in the job for a while yet. Pep has also stated as recent as yesterday he desire to manage here.

Common sense from Pep. Chelsea is not stable for any manager with Romans influence and City are only a new force and still struggle in Europe with their low seeding. Pep would want a UCL force he can take to the knock outs everytime.

Moneymaker

Rekop dog wrote: »

He also had the greatest player ever to play the game improving all the time during his reign which obviously helps, also Iniesta coming into his peak, dont think its the toughest decision ever to let waning talents with questionable attitudes go when you have players of that calibre coming through. Again i'm not saying he wont be a success but it would be naive not to have a reasonable level of doubt.

Wrong. Messi was in serious danger of wasting his talent, he was being lead astray by Ronaldinho, Deco and one or two other characters in the dressing room. He completely redesigned the way Messi played his football(remember Messi was a right sided attacker back then).

He had a lot of older players(Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Giuly, Marquez, Edmilson) that were past their best he needed to clear out and replace. Along with Ronaldinho and Deco these guys were the spine of a side in alarming decline. Pep replaced and rebuilt the entire team essentially.

He managed to get Eto'o who was in open revolt with Rightguard, motivated and playing well again.

He got Xavi back to his best when he'd been struggling with his form at the time.

I agree with you that there is an element of risk to their decision(he's very hit and miss in the transfer market), but to say everything was in place for him to succeed at Barcelona is not true. He built the foundation of their success.

CSF

rarnes1 wrote: »

Yeah , because the premiership is so much better than the Bundesliga..

Whatever about the 2 leagues, Manchester United are a more attractive proposition than Bayern.

CSF

CSF wrote: »

Whatever about the 2 leagues, Manchester United are a more attractive proposition than Bayern.

Could be argued either way I'd say

Richard Hillman

Is the Borussia Dortmund bandwagon over now?

Moneymaker

CSF wrote: »

Whatever about the 2 leagues, Manchester United are a more attractive proposition than Bayern.

Bayern are just as big a club as Man Utd, maybe not the fanbase but history, tradition and pedigree they are on even footing at least.

Rekop dog

Moneymaker wrote: »

Wrong. Messi was in serious danger of wasting his talent, he was being lead astray by Ronaldinho, Deco and one or two other characters in the dressing room. He completely redesigned the way Messi played his football(remember Messi was a right sided attacker back then).

He had a lot of older players(Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Giuly, Marquez, Edmilson) that were past their best he needed to clear out and replace. Along with Ronaldinho and Deco these guys were the spine of a side in alarming decline. Pep replaced and rebuilt the entire team essentially.

He managed to get Eto'o who was in open revolt with Rightguard, motivated and playing well again.

He got Xavi back to his best when he'd been struggling with his form at the time.

I agree with you that there is an element of risk to their decision(he's very hit and miss in the transfer market), but to say everything was in place for him to succeed at Barcelona is not true. He built the foundation of their success.

? Where did I say that everything was in place for him at Barca? I said that the decisions to get rid of potential cancers in the team when the standard of player coming through was so unbelievably high was not a tough one to make and don't think it should be looked upon as anything particularly shrewd.

Andersonisgod

Moneymaker wrote: »

Wrong. Messi was in serious danger of wasting his talent, he was being lead astray by Ronaldinho, Deco and one or two other characters in the dressing room. He completely redesigned the way Messi played his football(remember Messi was a right sided attacker back then).

He had a lot of older players(Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Giuly, Marquez, Edmilson) that were past their best he needed to clear out and replace. Along with Ronaldinho and Deco these guys were the spine of a side in alarming decline. Pep replaced and rebuilt the entire team essentially.

He managed to get Eto'o who was in open revolt with Rightguard, motivated and playing well again.

He got Xavi back to his best when he'd been struggling with his form at the time.

I agree with you that there is an element of risk to their decision(he's very hit and miss in the transfer market), but to say everything was in place for him to succeed at Barcelona is not true. He built the foundation of their success.

Well said.

McDave

What a coup for Bayern. And I say that as a Chelsea supporter.

The Bundesliga has been pursuing a policy of financial sustainability and clubs like Bayern have refused to go overboard on mega-signings. The decision says a lot about Guardiola. I wish him well there. A couple of Champions Leagues with Bayern and they're up there with the very, very best in Europe - i.e. Madrid and Milan. It'll also help put German football back on the map. A big vote of confidence for the Bundesliga. Could even spark off a new trend!! The English and Spanish leagues can only suffer as a result.

Incidentally, I haven't seen anywhere what Guardiola is getting paid.

Andersonisgod

Rekop dog wrote: »

? Where did I say that everything was in place for him at Barca? I said that the decisions to get rid of potential cancers in the team when the standard of player coming through was so unbelievably high was not a tough one to make and don't think it should be looked upon as anything particularly shrewd.

Then you simply don't understand the context of the time. Ronaldinho was more than simply a player, the man was a symbol of Catalonian revival, a player who represented the beauty of the great Cruyff dream team and who chose Barcelona over Real Madrid. Deco was an instrumental part who, the season before last, gloriously won a Chanpions League in Paris. Discarding the greatest footballer in the world (at the time), the man who brought Barcelona back to the highs of the early 90's and to sell the hugely influential and instrumental Deco all in one Summer (having just taken the job no less) were incredibly brave moves. His conviction in pursuing his vision of Barcelona has led to what you see today, the greatest club team the world has ever seen.

Rekop dog

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Then you simply don't understand the context of the time. Ronaldinho was more than simply a player, the man was a symbol of Catalonian revival, a player who represented the beauty of the great Cruyff dream team and who chose Barcelona over Real Madrid. Deco was an instrumental part who, the season before last, gloriously won a Chanpions League in Paris. Discarding the greatest footballer in the world (at the time), the man who brought Barcelona back to the highs of the early 90's and to sell the hugely influential and instrumental Deco all in one Summer (having just taken the job no less) were incredibly brave moves. His conviction in pursuing his vision of Barcelona has led to what you see today, the greatest club team the world has ever seen.

He wasnt the best player in the world when they released him that year, performances were dramatically lower than the previous years (admittedly injuries didn't help) his weight was beginning to become an issue, his party lifestyle similar, he was turning up late for training. He was following a very similar path as many great Brazilian players after they achieve success. Getting rid of him was a very easy choice.

Andersonisgod

Rekop dog wrote: »

He wasnt the best player in the world when they released him that year, performances were dramatically lower than the previous years (admittedly injuries didn't help) his weight was beginning to become an issue, his party lifestyle similar, he was turning up late for training. He was following a very similar path as many great Brazilian players after they achieve success. Getting rid of him was a very easy choice.

Ye his performances had dropped somewhat by then but his reputation was still huge and he was still a hero of Barcelona and neither Messi nor Ronaldo had quite emerged as the unstoppable forces that they are now so I'd say he was still certainly considered one of the best players in the world and still a hugely marketable player. Getting rid of him was anything but an easy choice and you could argue that an other manager may not have been allowed to get rid of him but Guardiola's convictions were strong and his popularity with the people enough to allow him to make such a decision.

starviewadams

Wise move from Pep,doesn't need the hassle of the British media.He'll hopefully head back to Barca after finishing at Bayern.

Would be interesting to see Raul as his assistant.

Turtwig

I think the ballsiest thing Guardiola did when he started at Barca was let Messi go play in the Olympics when Barca were playing in the Champions League Qualifiers. The club, iirc, had won a court case that prohibited Messi from going, Guardiola was then appointed into his position and gave the fingers to everybody and said Messi could go.


As much as I think Bayern is a great move for the guy. I would have loved to have seen him in the EPL managing a team that was playing against Stoke on a cold windy night.

EdenHazard

Why is this being discussed in the context of the English leagues? Talk about what he'll bring to Bayern, bundesliga etc.

Rekop dog

EdenHazard wrote: »

Why is this being discussed in the context of the English leagues? Talk about what he'll bring to Bayern, bundesliga etc.

Go ahead...

Lennonist

Phoenix wrote: »

Failure?Chaos?
They won league titles,fa cups and a league cup etc,hardly a failure

OK more precisely chaos in the sense that he would eventually have been undermined and ultimately sacked by Abramovich whether he was successful or not. Mourinho for example was certainly successful, but was undermined by Abramovich with the signing of Shevchenko, and was ultimately sacked after the trust was broken.

PhiloCypher

Moneymaker wrote: »

I agree with you that there is an element of risk to their decision(he's very hit and miss in the transfer market), but to say everything was in place for him to succeed at Barcelona is not true. He built the foundation of their success.

True he did put in place the tactical structure for them to succeed but most of the building blocks were already there, he just swept away the deadwood(the bad influences) of the Riikard era and allowed them to blossom . Look at Barca this year under villanova (whether he's been in the dugout or not) they have had the best start to a la liga season ever does that make him a better manager then Pep a better motivator, or do we accept that this team once the right structures were put in place pretty much runs itself.

Pep is and will be a great manager but it will never be like it was at Barca that was a perfect storm of the right manager coming in at the right time for the right team.

Mr.Nice Guy

Pep could have earned himself an absolute fortune from Abramovich. He could have held out for an unprecedented contract. He has chosen instead to go to a massive club that he knows will give him time and support. This is the decision of a football man and not a money man. Respect to him.

Boskowski

klose wrote: »

Aren't bayern already well ahead in ye bundesliga? Wonder how their manager feels about it, then again no shame in bowing out to pep.

Should be an interesting season next so

It all started with Jupp Heynckes stating that he will not sign a new contract and finally retire after this season. No conflict there.

Courtesy Flush

Barcalona havent exactly missed him. Maybe hes not as great as everyone thinks , we shall see

DubDani

Funny how little the press really sometimes knows.

All the speculation about where he was going for the last few weeks, but tonight Pep's adviser confirmed that the contract had already been signed before Christmas.

Moneymaker

PhiloCypher wrote: »

True he did put in place the tactical structure for them to succeed but most of the building blocks were already there, he just swept away the deadwood(the bad influences) of the Riikard era and allowed them to blossom . Look at Barca this year under villanova (whether he's been in the dugout or not) they have had the best start to a la liga season ever does that make him a better manager then Pep a better motivator, or do we accept that this team once the right structures were put in place pretty much runs itself.

Pep is and will be a great manager but it will never be like it was at Barca that was a perfect storm of the right manager coming in at the right time for the right team.

You can't compare Barca in 2008 to Barca today. Worlds apart. Villanova has a team stacked with world cup winners/champions league winners who are hungry to win back La Liga and the CL once again.

Pep had a much tougher job then Villanova has(not to take anything away from him).

Yakult

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

Barcalona havent exactly missed him. Maybe hes not as great as everyone thinks , we shall see

Id say thats more to do with the running philosophy at the club that has been laid down for many years now and to come.

Havent seen much of barca under vilanova but I can assume their style of play is similar to that when Pep was manager.

smileyj1987

I wonder does he know what he has got himself in for , I mean he will have to try and teach on how and why to pass a ball .

General Relativity

smileyj1987 wrote: »

I wonder does he know what he has got himself in for , I mean he will have to try and teach on how and why to pass a ball .

Yeah, because Martinez, Gomez Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Muller, Robben, Ribery, Shaqiri, Badstuber, Lahm, Boateng are all technically bad players.

happydayz182

General Relativity wrote: »

Yeah, because Martinez, Gomez Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Muller, Robben, Ribery, Shaqiri, Badstuber, Lahm, Boateng are all technically bad players.

Ya he has a good base and the team isnt exactly strugglin this year which has me thinking..has Pep ever actually made a good signing? Alves is the only one that comes to mind

Turtwig

happydayz182 wrote: »

has Pep ever actually made a good signing? Alves is the only one that comes to mind

Off the top of my head. Alves, Pique, Andriano, Keita, Mascherano, Cesc.

smileyj1987

General Relativity wrote: »

Yeah, because Martinez, Gomez Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Muller, Robben, Ribery, Shaqiri, Badstuber, Lahm, Boateng are all technically bad players.

It was mean't as joke because Robben is probably one of the most selfish players in Europe .

smileyj1987

Jernal wrote: »

Off the top of my head. Alves, Pique, Andriano, Keita, Mascherano, Cesc.

You could argue Imbrahovic was a decent signing 16 goals in 29 games . David Villa has 28 in 62 games . So he did sign two fairly ok strikers but Imbrahimovic might go down as failure over price and the fact he lasted one season .

happydayz182

smileyj1987 wrote: »

You could argue Imbrahovic was a decent signing 16 goals in 29 games . David Villa has 28 in 62 games . So he did sign two fairly ok strikers but Imbrahimovic might go down as failure over price and the fact he lasted one season .

Ya but thats 60 million euro plus Eto'o and 30 million so they would have to be have some sort of goal return. Ibra didnt fit and Villa isnt in the side anymore. It'l be interesting to see how is in the transfer market because hes never really had to use it before .