Alan McInally certain Pep Guardiola will not leave Bayern Munich
Wednesday 13 May 2015 12:43, UK
Sky Sports football pundit Alan McInally has dismissed speculation Pep Guardiola will be tempted to leave Bayern Munich in the summer to take over at Manchester City.
The German champions were eliminated by Spanish opposition at the semi-final stage of the Champions League for the second year running after losing out to Barcelona 5-3 on aggregate at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
McInally, who played for Bayern from 1989 to 1993, admits the club are disappointed with how the team has ended the season but remains adamant Guardiola will see out his contract, which runs until the summer of 2016.
"From what I have been told - and I spoke to Munich this morning - there is no way he is not going to be there next year," McInally said on The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ.
"If you have had a bet on Pep Guardiola leaving Bayern, I think you have lost your money.
If you have had a bet on Pep Guardiola leaving Bayern, I think you have lost your money.
"He is absolutely determined to see out his contract and do what he came to do, which is to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich.
"I think Guardiola is determined to see this out, I really do. He kept on saying in the press conference ‘I have another year on my contract’ and I think he will do at least that."
Bayern have a large number of key players over 30 years of age, especially in midfield with Xabi Alonso, Frank Ribery, Philip Lahm, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger all on the wrong side of that number.
Despite their advancing ages, McInally believes those players will still be capable of operating at the highest level of European football next season and he feels Guardiola needs to focus on a different area of the pitch when he strengthens his squad in the summer.
"I think Pep Guardiola, when he watches both games again, will realise that defensively Bayern are nowhere near where they need to be, to be absolutely at the top end of European football," McInally said.
"I think everywhere else is pretty good but defensively they are pretty poor. In midfield there are players that are getting on the other side of 30 but I still think they have got plenty to offer.
"It is alright having the best goalkeeper in the world but when you are struggling at centre back and Dante is sat on the bench all night last night and he is not really sure about the other two, I think that is a problem.
"He will be able to bring in players because Bayern are in the top five in terms of purse strings in Europe and can simply go and get who they want to, within reason."
