Carlo Ancelotti Trumps Pep Guardiola Again as Bayern Munich Down Manchester City

Pep Guardiola rarely lost a game at home during his three-year stint at Bayern Munich; the trainer's record in all competitions was nearly flawless. But one glaring mark on his resume came in the spring of 2014, toward the end of his first season at the helm with the German giants.

On April 29, 2014, Guardiola's Bayern met Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, down a goal on aggregate. The Spanish side would come out on top, delivering a humiliating 4-0 defeat.

Ancelotti and Guardiola faced off again at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, with the Italian in charge of the Bavarian giants and the Spaniard representing Manchester City. Yet, although their teams were different, the result was the same. Now the record at Bayern's stadium stands at Carlo 2-0 Pep.

The narrative of Guardiola returning to Munich just three weeks after officially leaving his post with Die Roten was an exciting one, especially given that it coincided with meeting Ancelotti just two years after what the former Barcelona coach described in Marti Perarnau's Pep Confidential (h/t The Independent) as "the biggest f--k-up of [his] life as a coach."

Yet for all the pomp and circumstance, the football on show on Wednesday was nothing more than could be expected from a pre-season friendly. The big names—Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne—were missing for the most part.

A man named Gotze played, but it was Mario's younger brother, Felix. The solitary goal that separated the teams at full-time was befitting of the action: An effort from the edge of the box that took a nasty deflection before slowly creeping over the goal line. The scorer was 20-year-old Erdal Ozturk, a player signed from Hoffenheim's reserves this summer to play for the Bayern reserves.

Still, there were some positives for Bayern to take from the match beyond the bragging rights. In their second pre-season friendly and their first against opponents of comparable level, the four-time defending Bundesliga champions didn't look too different from the team Guardiola left in May.

True, the Bavarian side were not at full strength. And they were certainly nowhere near their top level. But in terms of the way they played football, the Bayern we saw on Wednesday had some distinct similarities to the team we saw prior to the summer break.

Bayern pressed high up the pitch and enjoyed a considerable amount of the ball. Possession and proactive football seems to be in the club's DNA: It was there before Guardiola's arrival and now remains after his departure.

Notable was the fact that Bayern were able to play their style of football even without a large number of their star players.

In the starting lineup, 29-year-old reserve Nicolas Feldhahn played in central defense, with youngsters Julian Green and Fabian Benko occupying two of the three forward positions along with Franck Ribery.

At half-time, Ozturk, Niklas Dorsch and Daniel Hagler entered the fray. On 65 minutes, the younger Gotze and Marco Friedl came on. And Meritan Shabani, a player born just two months before Bayern's agonizing defeat in the 1999 Champions League final, made a late appearance off the bench.

It was a makeshift Bayern side with many reserves and players from the under-19 team playing a part. But they kept their shape, their cohesion and composure better than City. Consistency within the German champions' senior and amateur teams made a difference.

Most of the Bayern youngsters who featured on Wednesday will probably never play a competitive game for the senior team. But there were some bright points.

Dorsch in particular looked at home in the center of midfield, a tall order in a team that requires so much from players in that position. Despite being just 18 years old, he was calm and confident on the ball, and he made consistently correct decisions in possession. He's surely learned a thing or two from Xabi Alonso, and having a legend as an example to work with may prove invaluable in his development.

Green also impressed in the role of central striker, a position rather new to him but to which he seems to be well-suited. He's struggled in recent years and may well leave the Allianz Arena by summer's end, but his development in such a short period under Anceotti is a positive sign for other young players currently at and soon to join the club.

One shouldn't read too much into a friendly so early in pre-season, but the initial signs are that Ancelotti has had a positive effect on this Bayern team. He hasn't tried to reinvent the club, and the players are playing to their strengths.

The general ethos at Bayern has remained consistent, and even the youngsters have internalized the style of play, with Ancelotti getting good performances out of even reserves and youth players. There looks to be much to look forward to in 2016-17.

@Mr_Bundesliga