The unusual and strange journey of Pep Guardiola defines the life he lived. A man who was a supporter, a ball boy, a player and the coach for Barcelona, is now aiming to break them down. Guardiola is the acting coach for German group dominators Bayern Munich, who will meet Barcelona in World’s biggest football cup, the UEFA Champions League.
Guardiola will return to Camp Nou on Wednesday, though he was already there a few months ago, to re-live old memories on the bench with parents and friends. He got the tickets to watch Barcelona play Manchester City and was sitting with the fans, watching Messi outplay Manchester City. That moment must be nostalagic, to see the team you taught once play well.
Guardiola plans to destroy Barcelona, as Barcelona defeated Bayern for the first time when he was their coach. There is no doubt about what Pep Guardiola can do but the trio (Messi-Suarez-Neymar) will not see anyone but the finals against Madrid or Juventus. The man who ran after Victor Munez to get his jersey when Barca appeared in the UEFA finals for the first time, just after seven years he did not only make Barca reach the finals but also lift the trophy.
Though it will be tough for Guardiola to face criticisms at his own home, some will welcome him and a few will not. The media, the fans and the audience might give him some ‘boo’s’ during the match and it will be unwelcoming for him. Guardiola is determined to defeat Barcelona at their own home ground, as who knows the play and the ground better than their ex-coach.
The biggest problem that Barcelona faces is Guardiola, not Muller, not Gotze, not Robben but Guardiola. This heat is currently on Barcelona’s coach Luis Enrique who has been always compared with Pep and this comparison is pressurizing him. The match cannot be predicted, but the second leg can be. Bayern have always been strong at home and now when they have Guardiola as their coach, they seem to be flying and outclassing every opponent. During the quarter finals against FC Porto, they were defeated in the first leg by 3-1, as it came to second leg (Home-match) the punted Porto by 6-1. If Barcelona has to win, they have to do something in the first leg.