Pass and move, it's the Guardiola groove
Munich - Slick, fruitful and thoroughly enjoyable: Pep Guardiola's first training session as FC Bayern Munich head coach undoubtedly ticked all the right boxes.
Like a hawk
The animated Catalan master strategist spent over an hour schooling his charges in the art of tiki-taka, before descending into the catacombs of his new home to rapturous applause from the good 10,000-strong crowd inside the Allianz Arena.
The session had started in rather sober fashion, with Bayern's new head honcho assuming the role of watchman as the players took the opportunity to dust off any lingering cobwebs. Indeed, for ten minutes or so, it might have seemed all a bit Heynckes-esque for a 16-man squad boasting the likes of Franck Ribery and captain , but proceedings soon livened up.
The first serious task, a far from leisurely one-touch passing game of cat and mouse was right up the returning ' street - and Guardiola's for that matter. The former Barcelona midfielder's close control and passing precision were a beauty to behold. Twenty minutes came and went without the 42-year-old misplacing a single pass. A spring in his step, this was a man well and truly in his element.
Meticulous by name...
Barking out words of encouragement and gesticulating in kind, Guardiola duly moved his men from one corner of the pitch to the next, communicating effectively and attentively and leaving no stone unturned as he fastidiously guided his men through the next exercise.
Said routine and the two or three that followed all centred around the same theme and style of play fans had become so accustomed to seeing at FC Barcelona during his four-year spell as coach in the Catalan capital. It was every bit a case of two touches or bust and , for one, looked to be having an absolute field day.
... meticulous by nature
Towards the end of the session, Guardiola could be seen throwing an arm around the shoulder of Thomas Müller, before taking a few minutes' downtime alongside Ribery: perhaps not your usual wind-down after nearly two hours' work, but productive and well received nonetheless.
They said he was meticulous and it showed. After waving his players down the tunnel, Guardiola hung back to review his first 'real' day at the office. Monday's unveiling went like clockwork, but as far as second dates go Wednesday's workout could hardly have gone any better.
Christopher Mayer-Lodge reporting from the Allianz Arena
