Top managerial changes and their impact on European football

The summer of 2013 is arguably the busiest in the world of football, ever. From Confederations Cup surprises to protests against FIFA and Brazilian FA, from the retirement of Alex Ferguson to the rise of the German game in Europe, it has surely been eventful in every sense.

Post season 2012-13, it was predicted there would be plenty of movement during the transfer window. While the player transfers are not new, be it their numbers or the amount of money splashed around, this transfer window has seen probably the biggest upheaval in managerial changes in most of the top European clubs.

The sudden rise of the Germans has alerted everyone, and while Bayern might still win almost everything in the new season (for obvious reasons), all the clubs are now planning to rethink and restart their respective campaigns to claim their stake of bragging rights over the next five years.

Bayern Munich with the Champions League trophy

There is always one European champion every season. No matter how strong a team has been, the Champions League has never been retained by any team since its institution in 1992. Such kind of uncertainty has been fueling the top clubs across Europe to play football at the highest level and bestow us with unforgettable nights.

The changes that have taken place in European football this summer, both in managers and players, will contribute to a scintillating Champions League campaign. So, while we are on the point of UCL, lets take a peek into how the managing changes could fare and how could the club end up in Europe.

First up, Pep Guardiola.

Pep Guardiola to Bayern Munich

Guardiola in his new dressing room

After a year’s sabbatical, Guardiola returned to coaching, not to Barcelona, but to Germany.

Bayern’s very early announcement of Pep’s appointment has given enough time for the Spanish coach to prepare himself on all fronts before the early pre-season. Bayern Munich were among the first to kick off their pre-season campaign, with players getting only a month’s rest after their heroics at Wembley in May.

Even before entering the club, Pep made his influence felt by luring wonderkid Mario Goetze to Bavaria and allegedly trying to convince Lewandowski too.

His latest acquisition, Thiago Alacantara though, has to be the biggest coup of the decade. The hattrick hero in U21 Euro final was not convinced about his playing time at Barcelona, and thanks to an absurd clause in his contract, Bayern were able to get him for only 17 million pounds, probably half of his market value.

It has been reported that Guardiola’s training methods have been very demanding, and there is a sort of dislike for those tactics among some of the players. Whatever maybe the case, Pep still has a lot of time to assess the squad and tune it to his frequency.

Boasting the likes of Martinez, Schweinsteiger, Thiago, Gustavo, Kroos, and Gotze in midfield, which is unquestionably the best in the world at present, Bayern can dominate games with an all-round game of retaining possession and high tempo pressing with ruthless wingers and a robust defence.

There are very few teams that can contain such a combination of tactics, so expect Bayern to go all the way and maybe even become the first back to back UEFA Champions League winners. For more on Pep’s tactics and possible scenarios, follow the link.