Pep Guardiola may return to haunt Arsene Wenger at expiry of his Bayern Munich contract

Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich contract expires this summer

FOR THE best part of 90 minutes, he stood alone, on the edge of his technical area, hands in his pocket, observing every detail, intimately following every pass.

 

Sometimes he offered encouragement to his Bayern Munich players. More often than not, he simply barked orders and instructions. The conductor of a finely-tuned Teutonic orchestra.

For Arsenal supporters, who have so badly craved a team capable of performing consistently in the Champions League over the past decade, it would have been hard to escape the overwhelming presence of Pep Guardiola at the Emirates last night.

 

There are many similarities between Arsenal and Bayern, even between the philosophies of the two managers, but the biggest difference is that Bayern under Guardiola seem do it more effectively.

Yes, Arsenal might have snatched a precious Champions League victory in the end, but the stats don't lie.

 

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is confident Guardiola will sign a new deal at Bayern

In the same period that Arsene Wenger has lifted two FA Cup trophies, Guardiola, in comparison, has won two German league titles. Bayern are currently top of the Bundesliga, with a record nine straight league victories, and the talk in German football is that they could potentially emulate Wenger's crowning achievement, the 2003-04 Invincibles season.

Whatever historic feats he achieves this season, Guardiola's contract with Bayern Munich expires next summer.

While the club's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has expressed his confidence that the Spaniard will eventually sign a new deal beyond 2016, the rumours continue to circulate within football circles that the 44-year-old wants a new adventure - with the Premier League his next destination.

And, as much as the Arsenal fans respect and cherish what Wenger has achieved over the past 19 years, as much as they would have enjoyed last night's triumph, you just wonder how much of their resolve would be tested should Guardiola decide that his future lies patrolling the technical areas of English football.