A40:
I see Eljero Elia (Bundesliga reject) already causing commotion in the EPL

A40:
I see Eljero Elia (Bundesliga reject) already causing commotion in the EPL

More pics from Dem Boyz

Davidbanky:



When I see demichelis playing there I just wonder why the hype, tht man is 36 years old and their so called fast league ... Hahahahah is what demichelis that I presumed old is playing

Keky:
Same league ur so called Boa-Tank was raped over and over again.

A40:

He is your master and your god. They are very interchangeable in this context Phool!

A40:

Its obvious they have used your oloriburuku head for money ritual

A40:

No but he almost cost Germany a World Cup. If Higuain was not such a wasteman we might be saying a different story

A40:

Also I remember your orisa causing the foul that led to Madrid's second goal in last year's semis. And almost handing the World Cup to Argentina under no pressure whatsoever! What a treacherous orisa you worship

A40:

You call him King Kroos lol your personal King! You are the first person on this planet I have ever heard refer to him in royal terms it doesn't get more orisa than that.

A40:

Your lunacy is terminal!

A40:

Your ret@rdeen nature would not allow you admit he was not trying to be a peacemaker like you erroneously assumed but then again your very existence is a sequence of unfortunate errors

A40:

Negotiation indeed when we did not add a € or improve our initial offer! Is that what they call a real negotiation in your village?
Its not a negotiation when you are not willing to add a € to your original offer

A40:

They have been dancing on your head since your orisa's farts replaced oxygen in your life

A40:

Of course he's supposed to earn the exact same money he was earning when he was 19 or 20 and he signed the initial contract! It seems like a 1000 wildebeests have stomped on what is left of your head

A40:

Your mango-like head is impervious to knowledge and intelligence!

A40:

You just keep using words that are beyond your mental range.

A40:

I wouldn't bother posting what I've posted before, if you like make you take your head knack ogiri! Iyen o kan aye

A40:

A-40 miserable?

A40:

Loool that's an oxymoron emphasis on m0ron because that's your middle name

A40:

I was only shedding more light on your dismal upbringing and enumerating factors responsible for such. You can interpret and research your situation further

A40:

What a delusional P.O.S

A40:

Nein! All I'm saying is you are still an orisa-worshipping ignoramus, that is the crux of the matter. I am only communicating to you in the language you can understand

A40:

You lack cojones!

A40:

You are even denying your own words, what a walking disgrace! Popularity matters! Thiago was one of the most coveted players in all of Europe! And its widely agreed that we got him at a discount so what is your point? This pathetic, dishonest douchegoblin even edited the time of my posts and says I am claiming victim. You should be shot in the nuts

A40:

The biggest German talent in recent times (Words of Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer, guys who have burped out more football knowledge and intelligence than your entire lineage) who scored the goal that handed the most populous nation in Europe their first WC title in 24 years. Only a doomed eediot like you would question his popularity

A40:

Their popularity is comparable! Goetze is known all over the globe even now more than ever so tell us those factors Efulefu! No one said Goetze is more popular than Lahm so tell us is your brain on a terminal loop that you keep asking yourself the same stoopid questions

A40:

Common sense, wit and sarcasm are way beyond your intelligence radar,

A40:

I'm sure it is coaches, captains and journalists that fill stadia and buy club merchandise that keep clubs and countries in business.

A40:

Anwalam eh! And to think people were celebrating when this llama was born instead of slam-dunking him into the nearest konga and saving us this global calamity

A40:

You are obviously experiencing Brain-freeze, go and drink some anti-freeze to thaw and unclog your brains.

A40:

Your 'King' and orisa plays football

A40:

What a retardinho! Did Reus and Goetze start games together or not you obnoxious loon! Smh! like they were ever in direct competition

A40:

You are an illiterate incapable of reading between the lines!

A40:

Germany's next biggest talent who has gone on to deliver the World Cup and was one of the most wanted players? How can you question such a player.

A40:

Anu ofia

A40:

You are the master of stoopid questions! Why ask such to begin with?

A40:

I can see you are in the final stage of 'cerebral malaria' hence your eediotic and spastic behavior, Has he gotten as many red cards as Sergio Ramos or made as many errors as him.

A40:

Would anyone list elite defenders and not put his name and that of the Boateng?

A40:

Why did your orisa almost hand Argentina the World Cup? Why did he foul phoolishly and provide Madrid the second goal and also lost the ball that caused the 3rd. I'm sure your orisa was the mole Guardiola was talking about

A40:

You, your orisa and the 'Sky commentators' can go phuck yourselves cos we at FC Bayern don't give a rat's a$$ about you and your irrelevant noise.

A40:

Sergio Ignoramos. Better pray he does not lose form cos you know how Madrid dump players like hot potatoe

A40:

See me see this ginger baboon oo! You still haven't shown where I said explicitly that Player A died from Ebola! You sound more ret@rded than Jar Jar Binks. Keep exposing your illiteracy. At this rate I strongly suspect you have contacted the virus the way you go on and on about it

Defense? Lmao! I'm just observing you display your unique talent of stoopidity. Same way you were asking if John Stockton is on Nairaland
You keep harping on a non-issue which only shows the level of your desperation. Everyone is laughing at your lack of wit and common sense, don't you dare stop now! Keep re-posting and let those in doubt witness your phoolishness first hand

A40:


My friend FOH! What lines are you on about you plagiarist?

A40:

It means you are a retardinho that is too thick to realize he is being played

A40:

Dangbana! If that is your definition of a claim then you are beyond redemption! You need to be dipped into the River Jordan! this your leprosy is obviously affecting the brain. Eediotic cabron

A40:

You are being stupendously ignorant now.

A40:

Keep waiting for the player that died from Ebola.

A40:

Your lack of discernment would not let you know when you are being mocked to your face.

A40:

If you could ask me when John Stockton joined Nairaland I wouldn't put any other form of stoopidity beyond you

A40:

I don't think its a big deal to ask you to carry your orisa talk to the appropriate thread. You are a deranged lunatic whose existence depends on the nutrients you derive from the waste products of your god. Someone has to call you to order.

A40:

Don't respond nau and let's see who would die first! Eran iya osogbo oloriburuku ori maalu like yourself

A40:

ROTFLOL! This is awfully rich coming from a deranged son of sodom who replies A-40 before eating breakfast you have important things to do indeed! Isn't it obvious?

A40:

What an eediot! Keep deceiving yourself so gbo.

A40:

What is it to you when I opt to reply?

A40:

At least I'm not up at 5am thinking of how to reply someone I don't know from Adam

A40:

I keep praying that Oluwa gives you some common sense so you stop disgracing yourself on this forum 'stoopid old man'

A40:

A-40 slumped and died. How about that? ROTFLOL

A40:

Look at this malnourished douchegoblin!

A40:

Since he left A-40 has not mentioned your orisa till you decided to bore us with your orisa worship

A40:

Kroos's sem€n has obviously seeped into your thalamus rendering you unable to handle even the most basic tasks.

A40:

By the WC period he was still under the books of FC Bayern which means there was absolutely nothing wrong about me talking about Kroos back then! You don't even know how ignorant and pathetic you sound!

A40:

Barca fans are not talking about Sanchez, Fabregas Madrid fans are not talking about Oezil, Di Maria, but this orisa-worshipping piece of shyte spends his every waking hour lamenting about Kroos as if he is the first player to leave Bayern

A40:
Have they gone injured for 20 straight months? Did they tear their anterior cruciate ligament twice? Abirun like you

A40:

At least mine would have healing properties while your brain would be used to wipe the rectum of the elderly

A40:

Frustrated ke? This is like Mr Ibu vs Jon Jones! You are a jive-turkey getting slaugthered

The joke is on you you overgrown ewok

A40:

Hahaha what a hypocrite! I jump am pass! I'm sure this is how 'class' is displayed in your village. Like Jigga said I hope bullet wounds stop your buffoonery
or you die a slow, painful and miserable death

My enemies never live to tell the story and your case will not be an exception

A40:

More display of 'class' hehehe you would grab a bushmaster and massacre your entire lineage including yourself when I'm through with you. Shey you were forming christian not too long ago. Oponu ayeraye

A40:

And this is what makes it pathetic! I understand your plight, after donkey years of unemployment its only normal you feel the need to make noise. Ko ti mo e lara

A40:

What is your fixation with my life?

A40:

You would soon die from your inferiority complex!

A40:

Look at this insecure little puta whining about when I reply his posts?

A40:

What is it to you?

A40:

Especially when you are up by 5am before your breakfast to respond to mine

A40:

You better feel sorry for yourself and the sperm and egg donors that committed a mistake that they regret till this day, you are too dimwitted to turn any argument against me!

A40:

You are suffering a UFC style beatdown atm and its only the masochist in you that is still letting you respond but the fatigue is bleeding obvious

A40:

But you are up 5am to type a reply and post it to A-40 before daybreak! I'm dancing sanko to your stoopidity

A40:

I'm sure you live in a circus! What a clown, they need to dip you 777 times into River Jordan to cure your mental handicap

A40:

If you think you remotely have the ability to dictate any type of terms to me then you are a bigger asinwin than I thought,

A40:

Who cares if you are on FB or not?

A40:

I keep telling you no one cares for neither is anyone soliciting information about your miserable life!

A40:

You can keep trying to deceive people but I can only advise you not to deceive yourself

A40:

Look at this heifer who cares if you have not been on FB before Mungo Park came to Africa?

A40:

You think everyone is idle and unemployed like you and your relatives. Haaa

A40:

This is awfully rich from a ret@rd that is yet again replying A-40 before his breakfast!

A40:

Hehe you would soon catch stomach ulcer at this rate if you are not suffering from it already.

A40:

It would soon take you the entire earth's revolution round the sun to respond

A40:

and guess what?

A40:

I would be here to reply at warp speed! I'm Kobe Bryant ready for this eediot.

A40:

I would not stop till you are broken in mind and in spirit

A40:

My reply time? Hahahaha you are an epic phool!

A40:

You think everyone is living an irrelevant life like you are?

A40:

If you had a 1/10th of my exposure you wouldn't sound as ret@rded as you do half the time. Ariwo ko ni music

A40:

He also assisted Lewandowski and scored the winner at the Allianz. Bilewu

A40:

When did Badstuber ever make the list for anything? Even before he got ravaged by injuries I don't think even you at the peak of your insanity would include Badstuber among the elite defenders

A40:

Bwahahaha yet again the binary bird brain keeps falling the hand of our educational system.

A40:

I am playing 2pac's 'So Many Tears' on your behalf

A40:

Was Boateng benched? Is Mertesacker better at CB than Jerome? Your bad belle would not let you see that Boa-TANK and Lahm's versatility allowed them to play at other positions

A40:

You are so phoolish!

A40:

You have the brains of a dodo bird no wonder they are now extinct!

A40:

I'm sure you would soon join them

A40:

He was injured but played the entire 2nd half against Brazil? Came on during the Argentina game? Its a disgrace that despite all my efforts to enlighten you you still can't tell the difference between 'illness' and injury! Under what category does a cold fall into? Illness or injury?

A40:

Illiterate! You are beyond pathetic

A40:

You are an oloriburuku

A40:

not to realize he has since won the World Cup, Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup since then

A40:

Your god na that headed the ball to Higuain under no pressure whatsoever, that also cannot tell the difference between Scotland and Ireland. Weyrey alaso

A40:

Your oloriburuku nature cannot remove him from those shortlists.

A40:

Boa-TANK is recognized among the elite defenders in the world! You can kill yourself to register your protest! Nobody would miss you.

toba:
And youre an epic disgrace to humanity

You definitely have an irrelevant life outside the internet

toba:
You call this insanity exposure? I dont want to be aligned with a sick fellow. Thank you. i dont want

toba:
Just as he allowed Bayer to suffer a defeat. Thats really good of a world class defender.

toba:
How long did it take boateng to improve to this level?

toba:

You can talk about versatility? Chai. Wow kroos should be laughing if he reads your post.

toba:

Where did you get the above from? You or Joachim low told you?

toba:

Youre beyond redemption

Improper up bringing. Education system and lack of morals

toba:



So god played for Germany in the WC?

toba:


I didnt see any name such as the emphasized on the list of best players 1-11 in Europe and the world. did you remove his name from the list?

toba:
Shut up shameless retarrrrd and a confirmed troll. What were you saying below? MMUmU

Lets allow everyone to see and Judge. Your stupidity knows no bound.

I will underline for people to judge

---

A40 said A40(m): 5:51pm On Sep 06:
A player has never slumped on the pitch before? Ewu ara

here on https://www.nairaland.com/526446/bayern-munich-champions-europe/240#26078146

---

I replied you with

toba: 9:05am On Sep 08 After suffering from?
here on
https://www.nairaland.com/526446/bayern-munich-champions-europe/240#26118641

---

your explicit response

A40(m): 11:40am On Sep 08 Ebola
here on
https://www.nairaland.com/526446/bayern-munich-champions-europe/240#26122186

people following this thread have done the reading, we await your pathetic defense as you usual.

toba:
MumU. Show us the player that slumped on the field and dies suffering from EBOLA

toba:
Once again you should be shot at close range for being an and a liar. Why did you claim a player has slumped and died of Ebola? Did you say that? Did you talk about EBOLA or Not? Answer the damn question

toba:
Are you admitting to player has/had died on the field as a result of EBOLA?


Quite unexpectedly from a troll to say this after being cornered.

Mumu, did you mention Ebola or not?

toba:
I think you come from one strong orisa worshiping family. True or false?

toba:
As i posited above, this lunatic has to repeat my lines. You started the quoting game and i will not stop till you get a life.

toba:

What a pathetic troll
As usual. Lunatic display. Your evidence for this is?

Because you need to get a life and stop living on Nairaland

toba:

Mumu, but you were the first to quote the same person you dont know from EVE. You had the option of ignoring the initial post which wasnt meant for you.

toba:

Same prayer is for you to stop quoting me. Once you quote this post, i will keep responding till Nairalan ceases to exist

toba:

Does this have anything to do with you naming the player that you claimed died from EBOLA?

toba:


Really? So you have actually seen his sem€n before?

toba:

Arent you following kroos since his move to Madrid?
thereafter, why have you been monitoring his progress at Madrid if youre not a troll?

toba:
Did he recover after your alleged 20 months lay off?

toba:
For your brain to have been considered in the first place shows youre not needed Alive.

toba:

Hahahaaaaa. Your exhibited character of a frustrated kid since naaa. im just keeping you busy from going jobless.

toba:

Lets see how long you would last. Im taking the first shot on you in 2015 and that how its gonna continue till the end of the year or till go into extinction.

toba:

Chai. So its paining you that youre being fed your own food. hahaha. Anything you say shall return to you in 2000000 folds

toba:

Mr troll. Ive never been in the Labour market. Bless Jah for that. Pray to have such testimony

toba:

im not obsessed with a low life like you. Youre the one obsessed with me and Toni Kroos

toba:

Im going no where. You can die if you so wish

toba:

Because you dont have a life outside replying my post.

toba:

Like i posited above, youre down already. My reply could take days, weeks or even months, but when i become less busy, i'll give you the attention you seek.

Says a foold who would respond to my post almost immediately due to idleness. im really keeping you busy.

Really? Yet you keep trolling my posts/ What an Irony

toba:

Definitely its not everyone but someone like a nairalander with the handle A-40 is jobless, attention seeking and a troll. Get a life

toba:



foool, becos your miserable life depends on replying me

FBS:
where is A40? Happy Birthday boss.

toba:
fooool. Whos the god i told here is my master?

toba:
More of it boy. We already know you have very poor up bringing.

toba:

Mumutadeen. I asked was it toni kroos that gave the ball away that led Bayern losing an UCL game in 2014 vs Man City? See the mumu response from this toddler. So it wasnt Kroos after all. Keep shut and move on

toba:

you must be suffering from dementia. Ive asked you to supply the name of the Orisa youre talking about. I dont know any orisa, but you can tell us that player called orisa. Are you scared?

Interesting. A king is now Orisa? Is it according to your household or your village head?

toba:


Refer back to your poor upbringing. So what was he trying to do? Incite or try to calm nerves down?

toba:

foool. Ive asked you to tell me what you understand by the term negotiation for things to be put into proper perspective. Did Bayern negotiate with Toni Kroos or not?

toba:

muuumu. The reverse is the case. Stop repeating my lines. You're becoming dry. You started the quoting game, ever since your brain has been malfunctioning.

toba:

fool. So you realize the obvious improvement in the improved offer?

toba:

your own block head isnt better than that of a lunatic on Lagos road

toba:

Shut up. Just admit that its beyond your comprehension, rather than making silly claim

toba:

bloody liar and hypocrite. Youre making a claim, the onus is on you to butress your claim with the evidence. You have none, here you are claiming that youve posted it already. I feel so sorry for your life. It was convenient for you to search 15 pages to see if i discussed Bayern's midfield, now, you cant do a simple thing? Chai. God is there ooo.

toba:

unfortunately for you, youre simply exposing how silly you are and your lack of class. this is for you again animashaun and ajigunjaales are related to you? Answer since you brought them in here

toba:

obviously something is wrong with you. Who has been talking about Orisa and gods? Is only normal for you to defend yourself. I said youve talked about the gods on this thread keeps me wondering about your upbringing. Were you raised by herbalists?

toba:


foool. It has now changed to Popularity matters ok. Let me play along. Are you saying Thiago Alcantara is as popular as Arjen Robben?

toba:

You should go and bury your head inside the bar beach. You have no brain, whisch is why i said you lack class. So just these people said Gotze is a talent means there are no other talents around? Do more research. Iniesta also scored one of the most important goals in football history, whats the big deal? That was the first time the WC was held in Africa. Fool convince me more on why your talent is not in the best 11 players in the World in the same year? Only Sammer and Kaiser saw the talent? fooool like you

toba:

Shameless liar. Youre claiming their popularity is comparable means they can stand side by side. Whereas all real football followers apart from a lunatic knows they are miles apart in terms of EVERYTHING. Why was he not in UEFA top 11 or world top 11? Players who are professional colleagues dont even know Gotze, yet mumu like you is trying to bring him to lahm's level. The hottest talent in Germany thats being talked about since August 2014 is no other than Marko RUES. see how many clubs from Bayern munich running after him. Even Bale is shaking hearing of the potential incoming of REUS to Madrid. Youre a toddler when it comes to football analysis

toba:

with many kids like you on social media, who lacks class and tack, i'll prefer the award selection remains with professionals.

toba:

Ride on toddler. Continue to display your lack of class and morals

where did i tell you i have an orisa?

toba:

Fool. REUS was the one that displaced Podolski from playing '11' and Schurrle too would never start ahead of a fit RUES for low. Why was Gotze sent to the bench in the WC?

toba:

Yet he's not in the world best? Did Iniesta not score a Wc goal?

toba:

youre a joker. I asked you a very valid question

Was he in demand from other club, whilst playing for Bayern?

toba:


Is that a justification for the read card? I asked A and you're answering Z

toba:

I didnt see him in world best 11 list in Europe or in the World

toba:

I dont know orisa now playes football

toba:

But Sergio is better than him, true or false?

raumdeuter:
Released from my ban

Delloite money league released

Bayern is 3rd behind Madrid and Man Utd

raumdeuter:


Is he really young?

Na Oodegaard we dey try get now and the guy dey do European tour of clubs

[size=18pt]Has the countdown started on Guardiola's reign at Bayern?[/size]

The Bayern trainer spoke this week in the past tense about his tenure at the Allianz Arena prompting speculation that he might already be plotting his next move


Is it conceivable that the perfectionist Pep Guardiola, who began to learn German intensively with a private tutor six months before he joined Bayern Munich as coach in 2013, mangled his tenses when asked about his time in Bavaria?

"For me it was a great challenge", he said this week. "No matter what happens, I had a great time. I was very happy to be coach at Bayern. It was a dream for me!"

Those don't sound like the words of a man halfway through a project; they are the words of a man with an end in sight. At this crossroads of his Bayern career, upon the first match of the second half of his tenure, Guardiola is both.

He was in attendance earlier this week at one of Bayern's traditional fan club visits. This one took place in the Bavarian outpost of Greding where club guests were treated to a slap-up meal and all the traditional regional delights. His response left plenty confused particularly as uncertainty over the Catalan's Bayern future gathers momentum.

Neither Guardiola nor the club will answer straight questions about what he intends to do when his terms expire in 2016. He signed a three-year deal upon appointment and there as of yet has been little indication that the plan will change. Concerns have been raised also by former Barcelona president Joan Laporta's plans to stand for re-election this year. Laporta would like to bring back his former coach to work at Camp Nou, either as trainer or sporting director.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is playing it calmly, insisting time and again that a contract renewal is still very much up for discussion but that the time to do so is next season in the second half of 2015.

There is little else to occupy the German football press other than the increasingly pressing matter of Guardiola's contract expiration. It is not like they have a title race to consider. The Bundesliga was all but decided before the winter break. Bayern lead by 11 points and that could stretch to 14 by the time they play on Friday against second-placed Wolfsburg, their nominal challengers in a wretchedly one-sided German league season.

Matthias Sammer was asked about Guardiola's contract in the pre-match press conference on Thursday but would utter only a few cursory words on the issue.

"Pep and the club just want to talk about football and nothing else," he said. "These things don't have to be clarified now in order to do a good job in the second part of the season."

The club's website earlier in the week penned a denial of a quarrel between Sammer, the sporting director, and Guardiola at a training session. It was alleged by Sky Deutschland that the pair engaged in a stand-up row in the Bayern dressing room on Monday.

Despite the outward calm on the part of Bayern it is apparent that Guardiola has not been sufficiently won over to commit long term. For their part, the record Germany champions might find there is no long-term stability to go along with the team he is currently assembling if he is to depart on schedule.

There were dissenting voices upon the announcement of his arrival not least towards the boorish manner in which treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes was shoved aside to make way. Certain dismay at Guardiola's appointment also stemmed from the notion that Bayern had been seduced by Guardiola's celebrity and were eager to sign him up upon his availability, the long-term implications be damned.

Bayern have continuously been insistent that they are optimistic of tying their coach to a new, extended contract. However, as that 2016 deadline looms into view, Bayern are about 12 months away from going back to the drawing board all over again. Bayern are in that state of perpetual limbo like Barcelona were when Guardiola would only commit to one-year extensions at a time.

Sure, the Bundesliga has been won and probably twice. They have also lifted the DFB-Pokal and the Club World Cup, mere trinkets in the Bayern trophy cupboard. They did not, however, need Pep Guardiola to deliver them those trophies. Guardiola was appointed to burnish Bayern's football as well as win titles.

Here was the man who was supposed to not only guarantee the continuation of Bayern's never-ending trophy stream but who also would give them their longed-for identity; an on-field brand to go with their off-field one. Can all that happen, though, in the timeframe desired initially by Guardiola? Impossible. No coach has ever transformed a club so absolutely in only three seasons.

Will it have been worth it for only three years? Who will be next? Will it be a question of finding someone to step into Guardiola's place and deliver a facsimile team? That is what Bayern wanted to avoid when they decided to dispense with Heynckes. And so will the revolution continue? Will Bayern have to go to someone else, someone new and different to establish another, distinct, philosophy?

It's been 18 months of near serial success for Bayern and Pep on the home front. He has presided over two losses in 51 games, both when the league was already won last year, and none this season. That sort of supremacy does not stretch yet to the Champions League, where Bayern need all their success and validation.

Over the course of the Bundesliga's lifetime they have won the shield roughly every two seasons. They have sent brilliant teams to the Champions League but besides that golden period from 1974 to 1976 they have never dominated it. Guardiola was supposed to usher in a brilliant new era of indestructibility.

His team's good performances in Europe, however, could still probably be counted on one hand. There is also that horrifying loss to Real Madrid in last season's semi-final to exorcise. His record on the continent with Bayern is modest. Modest by his standards and by theirs.

Eighteen matches; four defeats among his results. Of course he has the knockout rounds this season, starting with Shakhtar Donetsk, to straighten out his record as well as another full campaign next time out.

By then we will know if as well as delivering trophies Guardiola will have given Bayern Munich the winning football they need to perpetuate success in Europe. The club seems caught in the headlights of Pep's achievement. If he cannot commit to them, nor turn around their football in Europe, then maybe they should be empowered to part ways on their own terms.

There is little else to occupy the German football press other than the increasingly pressing matter of Guardiola's contract expiration. It is not like they have a title race to consider. The Bundesliga was all but decided before the winter break. Bayern lead by 11 points and that could stretch to 14 by the time they play on Friday against second-placed Wolfsburg, their nominal challengers in a wretchedly one-sided German league season.

The club's website earlier in the week penned a denial of a quarrel between Sammer, the sporting director, and Guardiola at a training session. It was alleged by Sky Deutschland that the pair engaged in a stand-up row in the Bayern dressing room on Monday.

Despite the outward calm on the part of Bayern it is apparent that Guardiola has not been sufficiently won over to commit long term. For their part, the record Germany champions might find there is no long-term stability to go along with the team he is currently assembling if he is to depart on schedule.

There were dissenting voices upon the announcement of his arrival not least towards the boorish manner in which treble-winning coach Jupp Heynckes was shoved aside to make way. Certain dismay at Guardiola's appointment also stemmed from the notion that Bayern had been seduced by Guardiola's celebrity and were eager to sign him up upon his availability, the long-term implications be damned.

Bayern are in that state of perpetual limbo like Barcelona were when Guardiola would only commit to one-year extensions at a time.