Guardiola makes the switch but it is still FCB

Arsene Wenger is hailed for his talent spotting, and when he says something about future prospects, people acknowledge, but that didn’t happen when he said the Bundesliga is the League of the Future. The English press quietly laughed at it. Fast forward to the present scenario, the Bundesliga has been the talk of the town at a time when usually the transfer window occupies people’s interests. And what is even more striking is Arsene Wenger has got it right yet again, and that the future he implied upon has already begun. Yes, the Bundesliga has now become the league to watch out for.

Pep Guardiola’s snub to a Chelsea offer is something of a shock. But being a FC Barcelona academy graduate, and having been brought up with its philosophy, FC Bayern’s philosophy and management style attracted him over the deal put forth by Roman Abramovich. This act of his has partly restored our confidence in the integrity of sports, and that money does not always dictate. His act has shown to the world that not many bow to the ‘C’ (Cash, Chelsea, Circus) and there are people who stay with ‘B’ (Barcelona, Bayern, Beautiful).

Not many say ‘No’ to Roman.

Bayern Munich is no doubt a behemoth in the world of football, having been crowned German Champions 22 times and winning the Champions League on 4 occasions. In terms of Champions League record, they trail only Real Madrid, Milan and Liverpool, who have 9, 7 and 5 titles respectively. So, Bayern, like Barcelona, have a strong history and tradition, and the organization structure at Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga system gives greater control to the managers of the clubs, which is obviously not the case in the Premier League. The ownership model in the Premier League curtails a manager’s involvement several folds, and the Chelsea system is even worse, as is evidenced several times by Abramovich’s waning patience and firing ritual.  These might be major factors that could have pulled Pep Guardiola in to signing for Bayern. It should also be acknowledged that German clubs play open, free flowing football that is good on the eye, and something Pep has been very familiar with owing to his backgrounds, and tinkering and tweaking a little bit could work wonders for him. And it should also be noted here that Bayern’s board consisting of legends like Uli Hoeness, Karl Heinz Rummenigge, ‘Der Kaiser’ Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer would make it easier for Guardiola to settle well in to his position and duties. Such guidance is totally absent at Stamford Bridge, at least for now.

Only time can tell if Guardiola is the Guardian angel, Bayern Munich have been searching for.

Now that Pep Guardiola resumes his managerial duties in a new club, he would also kick-off a rivalry albeit with a different man, as Jose Mourinho is not expected to sign for any German club in the near future and Bayern’s only major rival, Borussia Dortmund, already have the tactical genius, Jurgen Klopp, as their boss. Borussia Dortmund struggled in the 2011 – 12 season of the Champions League, which incidentally was their first successful break in to the tournament in 10 years. But this time around, they came back and won the hearts of neutrals the world over with their all out attacking style coupled with possession. All these just indicate Pep would have a worthy adversary in the man at the helm for Borussia Dortmund. Who knows, in the coming years, a match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich might outweigh the ‘El Classico’, the Manchester derby, Manchester United vs Liverpool and Arsenal vs Manchester United in importance and viewer ship. All in all, fans of both Bayern and the Bundesliga would expect Pep to pep Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga to international fame and glory.