The eight points separating the champions, in pursuit of a fourth successive Bundesliga Shield, and the next-nearest, Borussia Dortmund, remained unchanged on Saturday, because Dortmund and third-placed Hertha Berlin also shared a goalless draw. Rather like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Guardiola has learned that those who follow behind him in Germany’s top division do so obediently, without posing challenge to his authority.
He looked back over only the third matchday of the campaign in which Bayern have dropped points as, “An okay result,” and hailed Leverkusen as, “a tough side.”
Bayern’s plusses included keeping Leverkusen and former Manchester United striker, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez off the scoresheet: The Mexican had 17 goals from his previous 14 games.
They had to manage a contest where they had a lower than customary share of possession – under 60 percent - with 10 men for the last 10 minutes, Xabi Alonso having received a rather unforgiving second yellow card for a foul on Chicharito.
They kept their goal intact with a weakened central defence, too. Jerome Boateng last month became the 14th member of the squad to sustain a muscle problem, an absence that will be felt by a coach who trusts the German international, and will seem uncomfortably long, with a late March return-date forecast.
Javi Martinez, a Guardiola preference in the middle of defence, is also out, as is the centre-half Mehdi Benatia. Bayern will head into the most testing fixture of their season so far, against Juventus in the last-16 of the Champions League, with Guardiola without his core.
According to a report in Kicker magazine, that squad have come into the second half of the season advised that their professional standards are subjected to new protocols, many to do with how they spend their time off the field. Kicker cited an unnamed source in the dressing-room, now widely known as the Munich Mole, as saying the new codes had contributed to a tense atmosphere among some players, who know they will soon be taking orders from a new boss.
Guardiola’s intention to depart after the end of his third season at Bayern ceased to be a secret in December. The club had by then contracted Carlo Ancelotti to succeed him, tied several younger players - including Thiago, Martinez and Muller – to contract extensions, seeking as much corporate stability as possible.
Guardiola insisted last week his focus on Bayern remains total, uncompromised by any planning for the Premier League.
But as former Bayern player, Didi Hamann, observed while analysing the dry encounter on German television, the early signposting of a change of management carries risks.
“It was a surprise that Bayern were allowed to be kept in the dark for so long. I think things have been shifting at Bayern since it became clear Pep would be leaving.”
Pep Guardiola timeline
- Telegraph