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Has Pep Guardiola succeeded in Germany?After his predecessor, Jupp Heynckes, won the treble with Bayern Munich in his final season at the club, including the German giant’s first Champions League success in 12 years, it was always going to be big shoes to fill for Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2013 as he returned to football following a sabbatical from the game. The Spaniard won 14 trophies at Barcelona, including the Champions League in 2009 and 2011. His services were therefore in high demand when he decided he was leaving the Catalan club. Despite offers from all over Europe, reportedly including Manchester United and PSG, Guardiola opted for the Bundesliga with Bayern on his return.
duke-0525 (CC BY 2.0) by Thomas Rodenbücher Now that the 45-year-old’s tenure is coming to an end at Bayern Munich, as he is set to take over at Manchester City in the summer with Carlo Ancelotti replacing him in Germany, was his spell with the club a success? In his two full seasons at Bayern so far, Guardiola has successful guided his side to the league title. A third consecutive Bundesliga crown is expected to follow the 2015/16 campaign where Bayern have a five-point cushion in the standings ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund. The odds reflect this position as Bayern are at odds of 1/100 in the Bundesliga betting for the title as of early March. Not only are Bayern on course for league success under Guardiola in his final season at the club before his departure, his side are also through to the semi-final of the DFB Pokal where they will meet Hertha Berlin in the last four. Bayern are 1/2 in the betting to win the cup for the third time in the last four years. Despite the continued domestic dominance, is that enough for Guardiola’s spell in Germany to be deemed as a success? Given the squad he inherited and resources available to the Bayern manager when he took over, it is difficult to say how much of the Spaniard’s influence has had on the team. His record in Europe with the club therefore has to become the focus when reflecting on his spell. In his first season at Bayern, his side reached the semi-final of the Champions League where they were hammered 5-0 over two legs by Real Madrid to miss out on a place in the final in Lisbon. Twelve months later, the German side had to settle for a last-four spot once again in Europe’s premier competition as Barcelona beat them 5-3 following the two legs.
Bayern – Arsenal 4 (CC BY 2.0) by Ungry Young Man Guardiola has one final chance of leaving his mark on the club in this season’s Champions League. If people are to deem his spell in Germany as a success, he may just need to win the European trophy for people to settle at that conclusion. The 2015/16 Champions League has so far gone well for Bayern. They topped Group F ahead of Arsenal, Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb, respectively, to set up a last-16 clash with Italian champions Juventus. If they can get through that tough clash with the side from Turin, they will just be three fixtures away from Guardiola going out with a bang in Germany.
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