Bayern getting ready for Guardiola departure (1)

While media in England and Spain are predicting Pep Guardiola, the 44-year-old Spaniard, will leave 2015 German champion Bayern Munich and Carlo Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid coach, will take over next summer, Bayern Munich Director of Football Matthias Sammer (48) does not want to confirm the news but, at the same time, is getting ready for the last months with Guardiola and the time after.

According to Xinhua information, Guardiola has told Bayern Munich that he will leave next summer.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Sammer did talk about Guardiola's coaching style but also noted that Bayern Munich don't need to win the treble to feel good.

Xinhua: Are we wrong having the following impression: Bayern Munich's performance in the Champions League is the only indicator that your club has played a good season?

Sammer: That's a wrong impression. In that point I disagree with our coach Pep Guardiola who said only the treble is enough. It's great that he's saying it and is ambitious but that is only his personal maxim. It is not what we as Bayern Munich are demanding, it is not a target.

Therefore you will never hear something like that from me. And I'll tell you why.

Xinhua: We're listening.

Sammer: Let me put it this way: If you keep on working fully concentrated to do a good job, success will come inevitably. But you can't start into a season and say, if we don't manage the treble the season has not been a successful one. After all, this club has a long and successful history, is one of the world's leading clubs but has only managed to win the treble once.

Xinhua: Indeed there are not many clubs that have managed to win the treble, meaning the national championship, the national cup and the Champions League. Of the so-called big boys, Manchester United did it once in 1999 and Barcelona twice in 2009 and 2015.

Sammer: Exactly what I'm saying. Does that now mean all treble-winning clubs played a bad season in those years they didn't win the treble?

Xinhua: Who do you see among the favorites for this Champions League campaign? Bayern is among the favorites?

Sammer: I see us as being a member of the circle of four. That is Barcelona, Real Madrid may have some problems at present but will recover and then there'll be a surprise team next to us, but only when all requirements are fulfilled in our case.

Xinhua: And that means?

Sammer: When we get all our players fit or ready for action at the right time, meaning when things come to the crunch in the Champions League in the spring time in 2016, assuming we can beat Juventus Turin in the last 16. Otherwise we will get to our limits.

Xinhua: Do you agree that an especially hard second half of the season lies ahead of you after a first part full of remarkable games and remarkable performances?

Sammer: After a good, or as you said remarkable, first part of a season, you for good reason can't start printing new business cards because you haven't won anything yet. To keep up concentration and spirit is a duty of many in our club, the coach and the key players like Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer and me in my position. We now will have a winter break which we will use to recover and in January start firing on all cylinders again, meaning we will fight to win the German cup and Championship and the Champions League.

Xinhua: And doing so, you will have to consider it will be the last half year of Pep Guardiola as head coach of Bayern Munich.

Sammer: As our CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Pep Guardiola have both said, a decision will be announced right after the last league match, which takes place this weekend. That's all I can say. What I can tell you is that, no matter what happens, all of us will stay fully concentrated as far as the rest of the season is concerned. We have a goal.

Xinhua: So you are not thinking about what will happen after the decision is announced officially next week?

Sammer: We always talk about things when they have been made clear by us and our coach.

Xinhua: As you mentioned Bayern has won the treble once, and this in a season when it was more or less clear that coach Jupp Heynckes would leave the club. That could be a good omen for this time as well?

Sammer: As I said we talk about this when a decision is announced.

Xinhua: How dependent is a club on a coach, his ideas, his philosophy and his style or the transfer of new players?

Sammer: It is always important to include your coach in the strategy as far as players are concerned, but I specifically point out no more than this. The decision as to the players is always up to the club. Of course the coach is involved intensively in the decision-making but it is not entirely up to him to decide. When we have the impression we need this player or that, we discuss the matter and listen to all opinions and then the club is the one saying yes or no in the end. (Mo