Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller warned Pep Guardiola of his 'weakness' ahead of Manchester City's UCL elimination
Bayern Munich ace Thomas Muller has revealed what he believes to be is the weakness of his former manager and current Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.
The Catalan's Manchester City were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by a fearless Olympique Lyon side in the quarter-finals of the competition. In the wake of their disappointing exit, Guardiola has once against drawn criticism for his team selection and tactics for the all-important encounter. His City side have now exited the CL in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals (twice) despite Guardiola's immense expenditure.
Muller, who played under the now-Manchester City manager at Bayern Munich for three seasons, believes he knows the one 'flaw' in Guardiola's approach to big Champions League games.
Bayern Munich star Muller feels Manchester City manager 'torn' between two approaches
Ahead of Manchester City's vital Round of 16 clash against Real Madrid back in February, Thomas Muller delivered a fascinating insight into Guardiola's approach to important CL games.
Speaking on his former manager, the Bayern Munich forward claimed;
"He’s [Pep Guardiola] always a little torn between paying extreme attention and respect to the strengths of the opposition – more so than against smaller teams – and sticking to his convictions and to a system he believes in."
The Manchester City manager responded to those comments by Muller in a positive light, saying that such statements provide him information, and not criticism. The former Bayern Munich manager explained;
"I have an obligation to know as much as possible about my opponent, and I have not played Madrid for five years. Thomas [Muller] and the others cannot say I didn't prepare to win games at Barcelona, [Bayern] Munich and [Manchester] City. I never watch a game and don't want to win it."
Guardiola continued,
"As a player, I thought that if I know more about the opponent, it made me confident to know what I have to face. If the players felt that – if Thomas felt that – it's good info. Maybe it's a mistake but I try to make them confident and go out to try to win the game."
The Manchester City head coach went on to mastermind a 4-2 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the Round of 16, eliminating the record UCL winners. However, it was at the next step where Muller's comments came into play.
The Bayern Munich star's words ring true in the wake of Manchester City's devastating exit from the UCL after they were outdone by Rudi Garcia's Lyon. The French club defended resolutely but capitalised on City's structure on the night, as the team selection left Guardiola's side more vulnerable at the back than he'd have hoped for.
City were a lot more threatening after the hour mark as Manchester City threw caution to the wind and got rid of the 3-5-2 system in favour of their traditional 4-3-3. The question remains as to how City would have fared if they had begun with their tried-and-tested approach from the first minute of the game.
Lyon now prepare to take on Muller's Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night. The German has been in sublime form this year after his Bayern Munich side look capable of beating any team on the planet. Barcelona found that out in terrifying fashion recently as they lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich.
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