Champions League Semifinal Second Leg Bayern vs. Atletico: Final for Pep

There won't be a cup in his hands when the final whistle goes but Pep Guardiola knows full well, this Tuesday evening will be a matter of life and death. The Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid is Pep's final.

To be or not to be are the two options for the 45-year-old Spaniard. The game will provide the answer to two questions: Was Guardiola the right choice for a club like Bayern Munich? And was Bayern Munich the right choice for the Spaniard?

It can be taken for granted that Guardiola would sell his soul to win the Champions League with the Bavarians. He has certainly made some mistakes which explains why he has not bagged the biggest prize in his three years at Bayern Munich. It though was not really his fault that he could call upon his strongest teams when losing the semifinals in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. On the other hand, it could explain why Guardiola does not appear to as sovereign in some of his decisions.

The man that shaped Barcelona's latest era in club football went abroad to prove his special qualities as a coach and is now trying to get rid of his "Spanish shadow" - one made of three parts.

One is his time at Barcelona. Though highly successful it was often said that he had the best team of the world to work with a genius like Messi.

The two other parts are the two lost semifinals against Spanish opposition which has had an intensive emotional effect on Guardiola. Maybe it has all made him much more stubborn and made him stick to a lonesome strategy. Guardiola has more than ever pinned his hopes in football basics - complete and utter control of the game. Meaning: in his third year in Germany, he has more than ever decided to solely trust his mind and soul when making decisions.

His last big decision at least was wrong. It was the one to leave out Thomas Mueller and Franck Ribery in the first leg against Atletico when Bayern lost 1-0. Bayern lacked ideas and striker Robert Lewandowski was a forlorn figure up front. Guardiola intended to fight Atletico's highly emotional game with total control and failed. This time Bayern will need less Guardiola control but a big heart. "We've lost the ease we once had," said Bayern striker Mueller.

Guardiola will presumably have learned his lesson. Mueller and Ribery, if he can recover from a minor injury in time, will return to the fold. Additionally a decision has to be made whether Jerome Boateng is ready for a return to Champions League action. After being out of the game for a couple of months, the central defender appeared on the pitch in the last league match. Like Arjen Robben, another key figure who is recovering from injury, Boateng is a vital part of the team structure.

It might be a game of life or death this Tuesday. Disappointment would be gigantic if Guardiola and Bayern were eliminated despite the fact that the club (with the coach) is about to win the fourth consecutive national title in Germany, has posted the best profit in his history and never before has the team played a more modern football in terms of variability and tactics.

To fail would mean, it is the third consecutive time that a Spanish club has thwarted Germany's top team. These two events might have brought Guardiola to the edge of a (Spanish) neurosis if you like. He couldn't convince everybody to believe that he has been fully successful in all aspects of his job at Bayern Munich.

"His dream from the very beginning has been, to win the treble with Bayern Munich. Therefore he will have to win the game on Tuesday," said Bayern Munich's former president Uli Hoeness.

If Guardiola manages to reach the final many things will be seen differently to the worst case situation. Meaning: Guardiola can get to a point, when his time in Munich is judged to be basically successful.

Guardiola and Bayern was no love affair. It was a professional collaboration but not an emotional one. Guardiola quickly became aware that he could not deliver the emotional needs of a club like Bayern. And Bayern became aware that Guardiola was not going to change into a people's and player's hero like a father could for his kids. Guardiola came to Munich as a temporary worker not for a life-long marriage.

Now the next task is clear: Guardiola and Bayern have to beat one of Europe's top teams, as one normally has to do if one wants to reach the final of the Champions League. They will have to break down Atletico's outstanding defense and they will need unpredictable characters like Mueller and Ribery to make their dreams come true. And they will have to be patient as well as finding the back of the net.

"Everyone wanted to kill me after the first match, but I'm not dead yet," said Guardiola. This Tuesday evening the Spaniard will have to prove he is clever enough to take advantage of his last chance with Bayern Munich. The chance to show he can be truly successful in his career away from Spain. It might be a do or die game for the club both in terms of the season generally and the Champions League dreams in particular. For the football coach Guardiola it might be much more. Endit