Foye wrote:So you are basically one of the Guardiola homers.
I do agree that Guardiola's approach is better for the Bundesliga since especially the lower table teams do not have the individual quality to exploit the high standing Bayern defense. Meanwhile Bayern standing higher can put more pressure on them.
However, I don't think Bayern will ever win the CL with Guardiola's tactic.
Quality defending teams just need to sit back and take care of the good counter attacking chances Bayern basically always give up or pressure Xabi Alonso who is simply not quick enough to play on UCL level anymore.
Also, Heynckes squad was much more balanced. The defense was rock solid and much better coordinated than it is these days.
You are selling Heynckes short if you say they were a counter attacking side. They had a lot of possession back then, too, and didn't really have to rely on other teams mistakes at all. The offense was just as potent as it is now, if not even better.
It's not like I'm agreeing with every move he makes. He definitely could have handeled some stuff better than he actually did. But in general, I think the hate Pep receives is sometimes beyond ridiculous. For instance Schweini's departure. So many people are blaming Pep but we don't know to what extent he is responsible for it. Schweini already talked years ago about leaving Bayern for a new challenge and his desire to make experiences abroad. Moreover, it looks like he is going to earn a **** of money. His English has also improved massively over the last year, so maybe it was a planned move.
Regarding Bayern's high defensive line, its success highly depends on the players not making individual mistakes, especially loosing the ball in midfield. It definitely is a risky approach but it also has some advantages.
Heynckes' team was indeed well-balanced, but after Müller replaced Kroos, the team's ability to keep possession was much weaker and counter attacking became its biggest strength. Bayern was back then not as much feared as it is now, so there was also more space to operate and more opportunities to hit teams on the counter. Scoring goals against set defenses is in my opinion much more difficult, so I believe Bayern's offense is way superior than it was back then. Their dominance in the Bundesliga is much more obvious than it was while Heynckes was the coach.
But I do agree that Pep should rethink his approach in late stages of the UCL. These games are usually extremely close and it's highly ambitious to not only win the game but also dominate the other team while facing a European top team having lots of individual quality to punish every single mistake.
