Question of Identity

The new jersey of FC Barcelona, which will be unveiled today at 18:30pm in the game against FC Bayern, is certainly something  Bayern coach Pep Guardiola will find quite neat. The jersey is in the Catalonian colors of red and yellow, something which won't be well received in Spains Capital of Madrid. However, for someone as home rooted as Guardiola it will mean something special.

Guardiola admires the club for which he works, said longtime friend David Trueba. He never want's to be more then just a part of the whole and never ask for coffee without giving something in return. A very noble mindset, which he is trying to transport over to his new club FC Bayern.

For four weeks the new coach has been working in Munich and quite a lot has happened already - so much that you sometimes have to ask for the identity of the Club. Especially in is homeland. Who is role model and who is the one who has to try to imitate? Bayern won the triple last season, they beat Barca with 7:0 goals - so is it right to turn this club into FC Bayern Barcelona?
Yes and No. To find answers in football is often not very easy. Often times you need time. Guardiola has the task in Munich to make a team at the top even better. So normally there are two options. Either you just change really small things. The easy way if you will. Guardiola however has chosen the slightly harder way. He is trying to create something new. Risky.

If he manages to do so, a place in the history books will be guarenteed. As for now it is looking quite good for him and Bayern. However, you can't take the pre-season games and draw a definite picture. One thing we know is that the new coach has a clear idea of offensive football. The two central defensive midfielders of Schweinsteiger and Martinez is no more in the new 4-1-4-1 System. In this system new man Thiago has played the 6. Against Hamburg and Gladbach certainly something without much risk. In Dortmund though, they surely are planning out how to attack this system with quick attacks.

The game today against Barcelona can be a somewhat of an indicator of whether Guardiolas Revolution will work against the top level of European Football. However, we should be careful with whatever outcome. The Catalonian Club has traveled to Munich without is new Superstar Neymar and without their new coach Gerardo Martino.

Once again the eyes will be on Thiago, the man who just switched clubs more then a week ago. He is seen as the synonym of the fusion of two worlds. Looked at the sport side of things he is certainly a big gain. However, for the clubs Identity he might become a political issues. Will he push out Bayerns home-grown talents such as Schweinsteiger, Müller or Kroos? And what will the club be under Guardiola? FC Bayern München -  or FC Bayern Barcelona? Or yet just a mixture of the two?

Bayern also presented their new CL Jersey. In Blue. The color of the local rival 1860. You shouldn't however, jump to the conclusion that they are on the search for identity.