Ex-Guardiola assistant reveals: "We never felt at home at Bayern"

Three years, three championships, two cup victories - the record of Pep Guardiola at FC Bayern is impressive. Yet, the Catalan's tenure from 2013 to 2016 lacked the grand finale: winning the Champions League. However, something else weighed even heavier - Guardiola apparently never really felt at home at the German record champion.

This was recently revealed by his longtime video analyst Carles Planchart in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper SPORT . The 59-year-old worked almost two decades at Guardiola's side, accompanying him from Barcelona to Munich to Manchester City. His assessment of the Bayern years is remarkable.

Planchart explained that Guardiola feels much more comfortable in England - and not just in terms of sports. "All teams have copied Pep's idea and evolved in this way. He has made the Premier League one of the most balanced and attractive leagues," said the former analyst.

But while in England a deep emotional connection between the club, players and fans is palpable, Guardiola never fully experienced this feeling in Munich. "In Manchester we were treated like family members, they let us work as if we were at home. He did not feel this at Barça or at FC Bayern ," emphasized Planchart.

With Ferran Soriano (CEO) and Txiki Begiristain (Sports Director), Guardiola has people around him at Manchester City who trust and understand him. In Munich, he apparently missed this very family environment that he values so much today.

Photo: IMAGO

It's no secret that Guardiola's Munich years were also accompanied by internal conflicts. There were repeated tensions with the medical department around club doctor Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. Guardiola was dissatisfied with the length of injury breaks and medical communication - a dispute that escalated in 2015 after the 1:3 in Porto.

At that time, Guardiola indirectly blamed the doctors for the many absences. The consequence: Müller-Wohlfahrt and his entire team resigned - a break that permanently strained the relationship between coach and club.

Sportingly, Guardiola shaped the Bundesliga and changed the playing culture of FC Bayern , but emotionally he remained a temporary guest. What was missing in Munich, he found in Manchester - trust, closeness and a sense of home.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.