Van Gaal: Guardiola follows the Van Gaal philosophy

Jan 21, 2013 10:05:00 AM

The flamboyant Dutchman believes the Bavarians' decision to appoint Pep is the right one as the former Barca boss' philosophy is similar to that of his predecessors

Louis van Gaal believes Bayern Munich have made the right choice to appoint Pep Guardiola as their new head coach as the former Barcelona trainer shares the same footballing philosophy as the Netherlands boss.

The Bundesliga leaders announced last week that Guardiola has signed a three-year deal with Bayern and will take Jupp Heynckes' place at the end of this season.

"Guardiola's appointment was not a surprise for me as Bayern always go for the best coaches out there. And Pep follows the Van Gaal-philosophy. I think it's a fantastic choice," the Netherlands boss told NOS.

"I'm the one who first employed the formation Bayern Munich are using these days during my time at the club. [Jupp] Heynckes then continued on the same path and Pep is the right man to succeed him. Pep thinks just like Jupp and I.

"Guardiola is a really intelligent guy. He might struggle a bit with the German language, but they all understand English as well."

Van Gaal was in charge of Bayern from 2009 until 2011.