Guardiola can still complete final Bayern assignment: win Champions League

It remains to be seen how the players will react to a lame-duck coach, but Bayern Munich won the treble under Jupp Heynckes, Guardiola's predecessor, a long time after it was known that he would be replaced by the Spaniard.

Bayern Munich's Spanish coach Pep Guardiola holding the trophy as they celebrate winning their 25th Bundesliga title after the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Bayern Munich vs 1 FSV Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, southern Germany on May 23, 2015. Pep Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich as head coach at the end of the season and be replaced by Carlos Ancelotti, the club states on Decmber 20, Christof Stache / AFP

Associated Press

Dec 20, 2015

MUNICH // Pep Guardiola still has the chance to end his stay in Bayern Munich with the title he was brought in for: the Uefa Champions League.

In his first two seasons in charge of the German football powerhouse, Bayern dominated the Bundesliga but fell short in the Champions League with painful losses to Spanish sides.

Guardiola inherited from Jupp Heynckes a team that had won an unprecedented treble for the club of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. Guardiola himself had won 14 titles with Barcelona before taking a one-year sabbatical.

Halfway through his final season in charge at Bayern, Guardiola is still on course for the elusive treble. Bayern lead the Bundesliga, have reached the quarter-finals of the German Cup and are into the knockout stages of the Champions League, with Juventus looming as the next rival. Guardioloa has won 105 of 135 matches in charge.

It remains to be seen how the players will react to a lame-duck coach, despite Guardiola’s record and reputation. But Bayern won the treble under Heynckes a long time after it was known that he would be replaced by Guardiola.

Here is a look at Guardiola’s record at Bayern:

2013/14: As reigning Champions League winners, Bayern won the Club World Cup and the Uefa Super Cup early in Guardiola's reign. Bayern finished the season with the Bundesliga and German Cup titles. But Guardiola's team was torn apart by Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid 4-0 in Munich to go out 5-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

2014/15: This turns out even worse for Bayern, which is limited to one title, the Bundesliga. Guadriola's side are eliminated from the German Cup semi-final by Wolfsburg. In the Champions League, they again fall short at the last-four stage as Barcelona win 3-0 at home and are eliminated by Guardiola's former team despite a 3-2 win in Germany.

2015/16: So far, so good. Bayern are comfortably ahead in the Bundesliga, are into the quarter-finals of the German Cup and in the last 16 of the Champions League.

[ sports@thenational.ae ]

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