Bayern Munich doctor makes scathing attack on Guardiola

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola. Photo: Getty Images

James Ducker

March 14 2018 02:30 AM

Pep Guardiola has been subjected to a scathing attack from the Bayern Munich doctor with whom he had a highly-publicised fall-out during his spell in charge of the German club.

Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt has described Guardiola as a "person with low self-esteem, who will do everything to hide it from others" in an extraordinary rebuke of the Manchester City manager.

The highly-regarded doctor, 75, left Bayern after 38 years in the wake of a 3-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat away to Porto in April 2015 that he claims Guardiola blamed him for and which proved the tipping point in their troubled relationship.

Muller-Wohlfahrt, who has since returned to Bayern for a third spell with the German giants, alleges he was "verbally attacked" by Guardiola "while the players were receiving treatment".

He also claims he was "blamed for the numerous injuries, the physical condition of the players and ultimately for the defeat" by Porto and that his "sense of honour" had been hurt by Guardiola, who spent three seasons in charge at Bayern between 2013 and 2016 before joining City.

The revelations are documented in Muller-Wohlfahrt's new autobiography, which is being serialised by the German newspaper 'Bild'.

According to the doctor, Guardiola told him: "It cannot be that injuries here last six weeks but in Spain only a fortnight."

The doctor claims Guardiola was "upset every time a player had to come off with a muscle injury" and told them they should play on and accused the Catalan of "turning back the clock" at Bayern and "turning upside down our well thought-out, tried and trusted medical preparation programme."

He also accuses Guardiola of always being "reproachful and indignant" when it came to the subject of injured players.

"He knew everything better," Muller-Wohlfahrt claims.

"He wasn't interested at all in medical matters" but expected medical wonders from us.

"I consider Pep Guardiola a person with a low self-esteem, who will do everything to hide it from others," Muller-Wohlfahrt writes in the book.

"He seems to live in constant fear of losing power and authority, rather than defeats."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2023]

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