Without a doubt, Pep Guardiola is one of the most decorated coaches of this generation. Jose Mourinho may dispute this claim, but Pep has built a legacy wherever he went – though he’s been to only two places thus far. It was indeed a prized catch for Manchester City when he was announced as their next manager.
But what about Bayern Munich? They announced the signing of Carlo Ancelotti renowned for his stable influence on a club. We would go a step further and say that the venerable Italian is the prized catch for Bayern. Don’t agree?
Team will be back in focus
Despite all his claims being a recluse and reticent coach, Pep is a celebrity. May not be to the same extent and hyperbole as Mourinho but he nevertheless grabs the entire spotlight.
This is precisely where Ancelotti will bring a change. The Italian loves to be sober and even the glitz of Real Madrid couldn’t lure him to change that.
End of the European sojourn
The real test for Guardiola when he took over at Bayern was never winning the Bundesliga – it was a foregone conclusion. Where he was expected to improve was in Europe, but Bayern couldn’t move beyond the semi-finals in Champions League in his three-year reign.
For a club of the stature of Bayern, that is a sojourn they can ill-afford to continue. In Ancelotti, they have the right man to get them back on track having already won Champions League three times.
Better co-ordination with the backroom staff
Not long ago, Pep fell spectacularly with former medic Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt over last season’s injury crisis. This season was no different vis-à-vis injuries, and the Catalan got repeatedly getting irked with the performance of his medical team!
Ancelotti will be the exact opposite of this, with his laid-back attitude and one who doesn’t get ruffled with things not in his control. For someone who’s scraped through the dramatics at Madrid, Bayern would be a cakewalk.
Tactical mastery
Pep is probably one of the best tacticians of this era and has left many expert scratches their heads with his innovations. But what sets Ancelotti apart in this aspect is his exceptional ability to adapt to the club, the players and the system to bring the best out of everyone.
His famed Christmas tree formation (4-3-2-1) at Milan saw him maximize the talents of Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf in the midfield while Kaka and Rui Costa excelled in an advanced role.
At Chelsea, he changed the diamond formation to get more out of Frank Lampard and even persuaded Nicolas Anelka to play out wide. Need we say more about his effect than that Chelsea became the first team to score 100 goals in a Premier League season under him!
And at Real Madrid, he balanced the egos of many superstars landing the ultimate prize La Decima.
Who’s in and who’s out?
Bayern have already made two prize signings in Renato Sanches and Mats Hummels. There could be more to come, but the first one moving out could be Mario Gotze. The German could never fit in Bayern’s scheme of things and could find a starting role elsewhere.
To judge Guardiola’s reign at Bayern solely on his European achievements – or otherwise – is a grave injustice to the way he shaped up this incredible attacking side. What it needs is a balanced head to take them to the next level, and that balanced head would be Ancelotti!
