Graphic: Pep Guardiola is loyal to Bayern task
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola today insisted he's committed to the cause as he looks to overturn a huge deficit against his former club Barcelona.
The Spaniard reacted to talk he had already agreed terms to replace Manuel Pellegrini, as chief of soon-to-be-dethroned Premier League champions Manchester City.
But Guardiola, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2016, has brushed aside such speculation and claims he has no plans to leave the Allianz Arena any time soon.
He said: "I have a contract and I will stay here at Bayern. That's all."
Guardiola joined Bayern in the summer of 2013 after enjoying incredible success with Barcelona, first as a player and then as a coach.
The 44-year-old won 14 titles - including two Champions League crowns - in a trophy-laden four-year stint at the helm of the Catalan giants.
And Guardiola, who is considered by many of his peers as the world's best coach, has followed his success at Barca by winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
Bayern were crowned champions for the third straight time last month but have suffered an alarming drop in form since. Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Augsburg was their fourth straight loss in all competitions.
The German champions next host Barcae tomorrow night, needing to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Champions League final.
But Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has told his players they cannot relax ahead of the return leg.
He recalls that Bayern hit back from a 3-1 deficit against Porto to advance from the quarter-finals.
He said: "In the last 15 minutes, we won the game but not the tie. In Munich we will not be speculating with the result.
"Getting into the Champions League final is a very big prize and I am sure that the team will take the second leg as responsibly as they should.
"We are going to try to win the return leg and make our fans happy. We need their support and it will be harder over there, because they will have their fans.
"We don't see ourselves in the final yet. I remember a team (AC Milan) that was winning a Champions League final 3-0 at half-time only to then lose (against Liverpool in 2005)."
