'Egocentric' Guardiola has failed again and again, says Matthaus

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Munich, Sept. 2: Pep Guardiola has let his ego get the better of him in his quest to end his wait for Champions League success, according to Bayern Munich icon Lothar Matthaus.

The Catalan coach won Europe's premier club competition twice in four years at Barcelona but has fallen short in all seven attempts with Bayern and current side Manchester City.

City suffered a shock 3-1 loss to Lyon in the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 edition, with Guardiola being criticised by some for his choice of formation and personnel.

And Matthaus has questioned why Guardiola, who has enjoyed plenty of domestic success during his time with Bayern and City, often feels the need to change a winning formula.

"With Pep Guardiola I have the feeling that he always wants to do something special in big games," he told Sport Bild.

"Barcelona had a DNA, a system he pulled through. Pep was successful there. With Bayern and City, he tried it over and over again with changes and failed again and again.

"He always wanted to show that he could do even better. I would like to tell him: Pep, you are a giant trainer - but please keep your system!

"I would describe it as egocentric. That's a harsh word, but it is due to what he did. At Bayern, Robert Lewandowski even had to play left-wing once. That did not work out at all."