Can Guardiola emulate Sir Alex with Bayern Munich?

Josep Pep Guardiola, one of the most successful managers in recent memory, is set to take over the top job at the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich, the most successful football club in Germany, an elite member of the European championships and a club with one of the biggest fan followings in the world, is not the easiest place to make your return as a manager, but if there is one man who can handle something of this size and stature, it has to be Pep Guardiola; a man who along with Barcelona showed the world how the beautiful game can be beautiful indeed, not to mention the art of tiki-taka.

While his reputation and credentials are beyond question, one wonders if Guardiola has it in him to retain all that he has achieved for a longer time span than he did in his stint with Barcelona. Can he become a long serving manager with consistent success at one club? Can he achieve what Sir Alex Ferguson has?

Again, if there is one person who can achieve this rare feat, it has to be Pep Guardiola, the 2011 FIFA manager of the year. He has age on his side, his managerial ability is out there for everyone to see and his passion for the game is undying as he has repeatedly shown with Barcelona. He can handle the pressure of a big club, in fact, the pressure only makes him more hungry for success.

With the recent emergence of Borrussia Dortmund in the German league and in Europe, Pep Guardiola would be the ideal manager to take over at Bayern Munich and bring the German outfit back to its former glory, both in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He has shown in the Spanish league that he can deal with big name competitions, both locally and in the Champions League.

After he took charge of Barcelona’s first team in 2008, he won 14 titles at a 72% win rate! In the 4 years in charge of the club, he led them to 2 victories in the Champions League, 3 La Liga titles, 2 victories in the King’s Cup and 2 Club World Cups, among others.

His disciplinary record as a manager has never gone into disrepute; he is one of the least controversial managerial figures in Europe, unlike his former counterpart Jose Mourinho. He has set up such a strong system at Barcelona that even a change of manager (who has adopted similar techniques) hasn’t had any effect on their brilliant form.

Guardiola is a man of strong discipline and values with attention to detail, much like the German giants, and is seemingly a perfect fit in that regard. Boasting of players like Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Gomez, Muller, Martinez, Neuer and the likes, his association with Bayern Munich only points towards one direction – long term success.