The former Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg has warned the club that allowing coach Pep Guardiola to have too much power could be dangerous for their future.
Guardiola goes into Tuesday night’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Porto under pressure having lost the first leg 3-1 in Portugal. The Spaniard has also been criticised after the resignation of Bayern’s club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and his medical staff following a row, with Guardiola forced to deny speculation that he may not see out the third year of his contract in Germany.
But Effenberg, who now works as a TV pundit in Germany after a glittering but often controversial career in which he won three Bundesliga titles and the European Cup with Bayern but also amass 109 yellow cards, believes that the former Barcelona coach must not be allowed to dominate the club.
“Now you have to watch out so that Guardiola doesn’t get too much power and also decides who is going to make up the new medical staff. That could be dangerous for the future of Bayern,” Effenberg told Bild.
Müller-Wohlfahrt claimed that his medical department had been chiefly blamed for the defeat against Porto, adding that “the relationship of trust has been permanently damaged”. Guardiola has since denied that was the case but Effenberg believes the doctor’s departure “could have a negative effect on the upcoming games in the next days and weeks.”
“It must have been pretty serious things in order for Müller-Wohlfahrt to stop working [for Bayern]. Someone like him doesn’t give up easily,” he said.
