Guardiola, Bayern and history: what stands in the way?

One trick pony: Pep would look to prove his doubters wrong and build on the dynasty left behind by Heynckes. (Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola, after winning everything that is there to be won, and losing steam and probably motivation, will take over from Jupp Heynckes at Allianz Arena. He will take over a team that has just won the double (and may even win the treble), been absolutely ruthless in sweeping away opposition teams across the continent, all through the season. And that team will add one of the most prized talents in all of Europe in the form of Mario Gotze in the summer. Seems all nice and dandy for the new gaffer to take over, is it not?

Well, I must sound incredibly preposterous if I claim that Guardiola will be the man under most pressure in football at the moment. Yet, that is the truth. Inheriting a squad, which in all ways is the best not just in Bundesliga, but in club football by a mile, has its short comings. To put it simply, the bar has been raised to insane heights, and fans’ expectations will be insatiable.

In all probability, barring a miracle Bayern Munich will add the domestic cup in what will be an incredible treble winning season. They may even poach Robert Lewandowski from rivals Borussia Dortmund, just like they did with Gotze. Now, the question that arises is what Guardiola or any other new manger can add to such a squad. The incredible irony is that, even if Guardiola wins only two trophies next season, a section of the media will question his success, or rather the lack of it. That sounds harsh indeed, but that’s the reality of football.

Besides the trophy haul, it is the way Bayern have won that is gobsmacking. This is the team that had Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez on the bench for most of season, yet spanked Barcelona, hit almost a century of goals in Bundesliga and finished 25 points ahead of the second best team in all of Europe and Germany. What can Guardiola add to such a squad? There is an opinion that he will bring the “Barcelona model”, but the simple fact of the matter is that the “Bayern Model” is not that different, both in terms of style and youth policy.

History tells us the answer. Every great team which dominated Europe for a sustained period of time has had its eventual downfall. Ajax and Bayern of 70’s, Liverpool of 80’s, Milan of 90’s, Real of the late 90’s and the recent blip for Barcelona; what goes up must eventually come crashing down. It is highly possible that the Bayern top brass could have seen an eventual downfall coming in the next years. Bringing in a manager who took a sabbatical to replace an ageing veteran could breathe fresh life in to the whole squad. Such a move can ensure prolonged success for Bayern. Well, that seems to be the only logical reason to bring in Pep.

And if the Spaniard can prove history wrong, by prolonging the Bayern success story beyond a few years, it will indeed be a wonderful achievement that will put him in the pantheon of greats such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Rinus Michels and Bob Paisley. And if he fails, he will have to face the unfair criticism that his earlier achievement with Barca was only due to the system in place there.

But what can Pep expect? When you reach the top, either you stay there or you perish.