Pep’s Christmas surprise?
> Guardiola’s Bayern future to be decided by next month, says Rummenigge
CHAIRMAN Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said yesterday that Pep Guardiola’s future as Bayern Munich’s head coach will be settled next month, after the Bavarian giants hammered Stuttgart 4-0 in the Bundesliga.
Bayern play their final German league match of 2015 on December 19 at Hanover and Rummenigge expects extension talks to be held soon after as Guardiola’s current contract is set to expire in June.
“We will have the conversation after the last game of this half of the season,” Rummenigge told Sky. “There will be a Christmas surprise, one way or the other, and a decision, which we will announce. At the end of the day, there will be a result of the conversation.”
Having twice won the Champions League as Barcelona coach, the 44-year-old Guardiola has seen his Bayern team exit the semifinal stage in Europe for the last two seasons after twice winning the German league at a canter.
The Spaniard has repeatedly refused to answer any questions about his future after being linked to a stream of Premier League clubs.
At the end of September, he walked out of a press conference after being asked about links to the England national team manager position.
“Next question, please, next question,” he said yesterday when reporters made a fresh attempt in the press conference after Robert Lewandowski claimed his 14th Bundesliga goal of the season as Bayern went eight points clear.
Their star-studded attack ran riot at the Allianz Arena with Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and Thomas Muller also getting on the scoresheet as defeat pushed Stuttgart back into the bottom three.
With second-placed Borussia Dortmund hosting Schalke later in the Ruhr derby, Bayern took the chance to extend their lead.
“It’s so difficult to play every three days and show this sort of mentality,” said Guardiola, with Bayern targeting a repeat of their 2013 treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.
“I hope the players keep this aggression up until the winter break (in December) and then until the end of the season, because if we don’t win the triple, it will have been a bad season.
“The players have done well in all competitions up until this point and I hope they come back from the international break healthy and fit.”
And Guardiola again acknowledged the pressure he faces as Bayern coach.
“I know where I am, it is just like being at Barcelona. We have to win, win, win,” he said.
Club captain Philipp Lahm has already told Guardiola that the team want him to stay, but, should the Spaniard leave, some German media have reported that Carlo Ancelotti has been approached as a possible replacement. – AFP