Why Pep Guardiola Will Continue to Push Bayern Munich Forward in 2015/16

As the 2014-15 club-football season nears its end, international media is abuzz about where Pep Guardiola will coach next season. The Bayern Munich trainer has just over one year left on his contract and is perhaps the most coveted coach in world football.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has long been adamant about Guardiola staying in Munich, the president recently telling Bild (h/t Goal.com) he couldn't imagine his trainer leaving for Manchester City, in spite of rumors, and asserting that he was sure Guardiola would remain manager at Bayern until June 30, 2016 at the earliest.

Guardiola is quite clearly wanted in Munich, and for now, still has some unfinished business to take care of. Although Bayern have been utterly dominant in the Bundesliga during his tenure, the German giants have yet to prove themselves as one of the top two or three teams in Europe during the Champions League under his tenure. And there are some questions over the club's long-term future that will need to be addressed in the short-term regardless of whether he opts to extend his contract past its current expiration date.

Bayern have markedly changed under Guardiola, and there is good reason to believe that their evolution will continue in a positive way next season. They've moved from a consistently brutally effective adaptation of the counter-pressing styles made famous by Jurgen Klopp and Joachim Low to a variety of systems that Guardiola uses depending on opposition and available players.

Bayern's transformation under Guardiola has taken time and a fair bit of trial and error. The trainer has had to offload players he deemed of little use in his plans (namely Luiz Gustavo, Mario Gomez and Mario Mandzukic) and integrate new ones like Thiago and Robert Lewandowski.

Tactically, Guardiola has still had to adapt to his players' abilities and to opposition. For a time, Bayern were (according to club legend Franz Beckenbauer, via Marca) "unwatchable," and as illustrated in this article, faced an identity crisis last April. After a turbulent first season, Guardiola has settled. He's occasionally reverted to the mistakes of old and still makes glaring tactical errors (the first legs of the Shakhtar and Porto Champions League ties in particular) from time to time, but the difference now is that he has a Plan B (and C) for when things go wrong.

Lately, Bayern have resorted to a style that previous coach Jupp Heynckes would be proud of, pressing high and using the physicality of Lewandowski (like Mandzukic before him) and Thomas Muller as forwards whilst relying on a midfield catalyst (Thiago, as Franck Ribery before). It's a system borne partly out of necessity due to injuries, and one that is much more narrow than Heynckes' wing-focused game plan, and a very important option.

Before the current tactical variation, Guardiola had seemingly embraced the team's reliance on Ribery and Arjen Robben. He'd created a central midfield designed for control above all, allowing the superstar wingers to stay high up the pitch and work their magic. And then, there was always the slow, possession-based game that had lulled Beckenbauer into sleep but had proven very effective in some cases.

Guardiola's biggest critics will note that Bayern were far more dominant in the Champions League prior to the Spaniard's arrival. And indeed, with the club having reached three Champions League finals in four seasons and utterly humiliated Juventus and Barcelona on their way to winning the final in 2013, it's hard to argue. Last season was a decided step down, with the club having been humiliated by Real Madrid in the semifinal: Once consistently among the top two or three clubs in the world, they were a decided rung below the best. And although that reputation could change by June, their inconsistency this season has not yet changed their standing.

The important thing to remember is that as great as the team was that Guardiola inherited, it was not his team. He changed everything in his first season, yet it wasn't enough. But at last, Bayern have many different options and seem to find a way to win no matter how they play. Now that they have flexibility, more can be expected of the Bavarian giants.

As critical as it is that Guardiola now understands his players better than ever before and that Bayern can now effectively take several different tactical forms, there remains one key concern for the club: team-building. Rummenigge and company knew they were set to force the club to transition at a time when key players like Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger were advancing in years. The aforementioned as well as Dante and Xabi Alonso have limited time remaining at the highest level, and all will need to be replaced within the next few years.

Planning has already begun for the long term, with Sinan Kurt and Joshua Kimmich having been signed, Pierre Hojbjerg loaned to Augsburg, and Gianluca Gaudino having been promoted to the first team. However, none of the aforementioned is guaranteed to ever reach world-class status, let alone within the next year or so. Guardiola was signed not to play the role of a coach like Klopp and build a quality squad from his academy talents and an assortment of hand-picked talents from outside the club. The Spaniard instead was brought to Munich for the purpose of taking the club to the next level and establishing long-term international dominance. Bayern can't waste what could be their last season with Guardiola at the helm.

In all likelihood, Bayern won't spend 2015-16 hoping their young players develop into stars. The time is ripe for them to make serious moves in the transfer market. Per Transfermarkt, Bayern's net earnings on transfers last summer exceeded their expenditures by €1.6 million. Deloitte's most recent annual Football Money League report ranked the German giants as the third-wealthiest club in Europe according to revenue. With the Allianz Arena having been paid off last November, there is significant budget room for player transfers.

Bayern need to sign the next big thing in the Bundesliga, and Kevin de Bruyne is a player worthy of the title. The Belgian has been the league's best player by most accounts this season, and his versatility as both a goal-scoring threat and a setup man would be welcomed by Guardiola. Although he's much more capable in the center than on the wing and more effective on the counterattack than in tight spaces, he could fill Ribery's boots and might be attainable for the right price.

Elsewhere, Hoffenheim star Roberto Firmino could also be available. Although not experienced in the Champions League, he is a far more developed product than Kurt, for example, and as of late has played an increasing role in the Brazilian national team.

A couple of shrewd signings in midfield would put Bayern on track for life after Alonso, Lahm and Schweinsteiger. And these would be players of Guardiola's choosing, not those he would inherit. Unlike many coaches, he can expect to have a massive budget for transfers if need be, especially as Bayern attempt to court him with a new contract.

It's been a long and bumpy road for Guardiola to bring Bayern to where they are now, and there remains some considerable distance to go if his appointment as head coach ahead of an extension with Heynckes is to be justified. However, now it's beginning to look as though things are coming together and Bayern are back near the very pinnacle of European football. The players understand and are proficient in a variety of systems that Guardiola has been able to tweak to his liking, the trainer having had the opportunity to learn from mistakes. And although some aging stars are approaching the twilight of their respective careers, the summer transfer window will provide the opportunity for the trainer to craft the squad exactly as he sees fit.

There will be many important judgment calls in 2015-16, particularly with who to sign this summer and who to expect to need phasing out. And there will be huge tactical challenges against Europe's best clubs. But Guardiola is one of football's most respected trainers and is held with utmost esteem by his players. He has the coaching skills, the team and the financial resources to bring Bayern back to the very top, either this season or the next. With all things considered, another decisive, positive step is the most likely scenario for Bayern in 2015-16

@Mr_Bundesliga