Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Pep Guardiola: Failure could mean sack

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola says he is aware of the pressure he is under going into his second season on the Bavarians' bench.

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Bayern have picked up a combined total of eight trophies in the past two seasons, four under the Catalan's stewardship last year.

Any less this term could be regarded as a failure and Guardiola knows he needs to win silverware to remain in a job.

"If I don't win, then probably another coach comes here next year," Sport1.de reported the Spaniard as having said in a telephone conference. "I'm here to do as good a job as possible, like I did at Barcelona."

With six members of Guardiola's squad winning the World Cup this summer, how hungry those player will be for more success has been questioned.

The 43-year-old does not see that as a potential problem, though, and has instead welcomed Germany's World Cup triumph.

"I'm really pleased for them," he said. "It's a real gift for Bayern Munich that six of our players contributed to that title."

Four years ago, Guardiola found himself in the same situation with several of Spain's World Cup winners on the Barca books. That year, the Catalans went on to complete a Primera Division and Champions League double.

Bayern can pick up their first piece of silverware on Aug. 13 -- just two weeks after those Germany players report for preseason training -- with the German Supercup.

The curtain-raiser to the Bundesliga season, which starts nine days later, pits Bayern against Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion.

Three weeks ahead of that game, Dortmund have announced that all 80,667 tickets have already been sold. A year ago, Dortmund triumphed 4-2 in the same fixture, Guardiola's first competitive game in charge of the record German champions.

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