Kahn wary of Guardiola reign at Bayern
Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn has warned against expecting too much too soon from Pep Guardiola's appointment at the club.
By FOX SPORTS staff
News of the former Barcelona manager's decision to take over Bayern Munich in the summer has been met with excitment from the club's fans and Bundesliga supporters, who are eager for Guardiola to replicate the success achieved during his previous managerial stint.
However, Kahn expressed his concerns that Bayern would take on an inflexible playing style under the Spaniard.
"Guardiola brought up players from youth to professional levels, but Bayern's players need not possess the same level of automatism as Barcelona's do, to internalise his systems will not happen in one day. Unlike [ex-Bavarian coach] Louis van Gaal's single-minded usage of the ball to achieve an end result, Guardiola's system is more flexible, with possession central to play," he wrote in a column for Bild.
"Anyone not willing to participate in this collective movement will find it very hard in his system. For example, part of his success lay with Lionel Messi's use as a 'false number nine', but it is interesting to see if Bayern can play in the future like that."
The former German international urged the club's sports director Matthias Sammer to work together with Guardiola in creating a unique approach that the Bavarian side could call their own.
"Guardiola and sports director Matthias Sammer must develop and implement a consistent philosophy. Doing so will be a decisive factor in the battle to be Europe's number one team," Kahn remarked.
Bayern Munich will next participate in a tricky Bundesliga clash against Schalke on Sunday.