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Guardiola forced on the defensive ahead of Super Cup

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola spent much of his pre-Super Cup press conference on Friday talking about other issues than the Wolfsburg clash. He denied that he had held talks with other clubs and that the German champions were becoming too Spanish. Saturday's curtain raiser to the Bundesliga season could be a damp squib with…
Guardiola

Guardiola

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola spent much of his pre-Super Cup press conference on Friday talking about other issues than the Wolfsburg clash.

He denied that he had held talks with other clubs and that the German champions were becoming too Spanish.

Saturday’s curtain raiser to the Bundesliga season could be a damp squib with Wolfsburg’s footballer of the year Kevin De Bruyne doubtful with a back injury and Bayern’s new Chilean signing Arturo Vidal unlikely to start having only recently joined.

Focus therefore turned to Guardiola’s future with his contract running until 2016.

“I have not decided yet,’’ the Spaniard said when asked if he would sign a new deal. I haven’t got any offer from any other club in the world.’’

After back-to-back Bundesliga titles, Bayern are keen to keep Guardiola but he is not rushing into anything.

“We have time to talk. I am grateful to be here,’’ the former Barcelona coach said.

Vidal’s arrival from Juventus increases the Spanish-speaking contingent at Bayern with Spaniards Javi Martinez, Xabi Alonso, Juan Bernat and Thiago Alcantara already there alongside Guardiola.

The coach rejected criticism that Bayern are losing their German roots.

“Bayern is and will remain a German team for the next one hundred years, don’t worry,’’ he said.

“I know how important it is to have a basis of German players,’’ Guardiola added, stating that “every meeting here’’ would be in German.

When Bayern are forced on the defensive on Saturday at last term’s Bundesliga runners-up and German Cup winners, the players in the backline will almost have picked themselves.

Defenders Holger Badstuber, Dante, Martinez and Jan Kirchhoff are all injured. This may mean Philipp Lahm has to revert to playing right back rather than midfield. Guardiola said his captain would have to be flexible throughout the season.

There could be a surprise appearance from winger Arjen Robben after recovering from injury.

The Bundesliga kicks off in two weeks.

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