Thiago: Bayern Munich Are Still Benefiting from Work of Pep Guardiola

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara has said the team are still benefiting from the work done by former manager Pep Guardiola. 

The German giants dominated the Bundesliga during Guardiola's three seasons at the helm between 2013 and 2016, winning the top-flight title on three occasions.

Thiago was signed by Guardiola at the Allianz Arena in 2013, with the duo having worked together during their time at Barcelona. Speaking about his former boss, Thiago said some of the skills Guardiola taught at Munich are still helping the current side, per Goal and DAZN (h/t Kerry Hau of Goal).

"He definitely left his mark at the club because he and his ideas have shaped us enormously as a team," said the Spain international. "You can feel it on the pitch. In some match situations, we still do things he taught us. But I think that we have managed to take the positives from each of our coaches and combine them."

Thiago went on to say Guardiola is "one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best." He added that he learned a lot from having him as a manager and was grateful for taking him from the fringes of the Barcelona setup, into the Bayern first team.

Guardiola is rated as one of the best managers around and has twice inspired his teams to incredible winning runs:

While Bayern have maintained their status as Germany's dominant team since Guardiola left in 2016, they have not enjoyed a stable spell.

After a positive first season, Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in the early stages of the 2017-18 term and replaced by Bayern icon Jupp Heynckes until the end of the campaign. Current boss Nico Kovac succeeded him, and while the team sit at the summit of the standings, they were underwhelming in the UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola has gone on to enjoy more domestic success at Manchester City, with the team achieving 100 points on their way to Premier League glory in 2017-18. However, as was the case at Bayern, he hasn't been able to convert that into Champions League success:

The man himself recently spoke about his time at Bayern and opted against calling it a failure because the team didn't win in Europe:

Thiago has been a tremendous signing for Bayern and has developed into one of European football's most gifted midfielders during his time with the Bavarian giants. 

Injuries have limited his appearances in some recent seasons, although this term he has been able to make 22 starts in the Bundesliga. Thiago has won the German top-flight title on five occasions but will surely be desperate to add a Champions League success to his honours list before his time with the Munich outfit comes to an end.