Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at critics who have questioned his tactical decisions in the last week, expressing he feels he is disliked due to the impressive haul of trophies he has won.
Guardiola’s Bundesliga side lost 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid last week and need to score two goals against Diego Simeone’s side, who have one of the best defences in Europe, to reach the final.
The Spanish coach came under fire last week for his decision to leave Thomas Muller on the bench for the first leg, The German forward has 28 goals across the Bundesliga and the Champions League this season.
And Guardiola has responded to those criticisms by saying that he is scrutinised more often because of the amount of silverware he has claimed.
The problem people have with me is that I’ve won so many titles,” Guardiola told a press conference prior to Tuesday evening’s second leg, per Football- Espana. “An hour before the game you’ll see who will start.
“We have to interpret how we approach each game and play according to our philosophy. In Madrid we didn’t lose because Muller didn’t start, and his presence is not the only thing that will determine the outcome in this game.
“You’ve got to adapt the squad you have and if I had wanted to play the exact same way we did in Spain then I’d have stayed there. It’s a great honour to be in the semi-final but we have to improve our performance if we are going to reach the final in Milan.”
Reaching the final of the Champions League needs to be a priority for Guardiola and his Bayern side. The former Barcelona man, who won the trophy twice with the Catalans, has taken Munich to the semi-finals in his two seasons in charge so far.
Completing a hat-trick of last four finishes would be considered a failure by the Bayern fans and board, before Guardiola moves to Manchester City in the summer.
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