"?It is fair to say that Franck Ribery and Pep Guardiola are not the closest of friends. The Frenchman spent three years with the Catalan tactician and it has emerged that their relationship was far from rosy.
Ribery endured a shocking dip in form due to injuries and struggled to adapt to his new manager's tactical views during Guardiola's tenure. The same player who was voted UEFA Best Player in 2013 had become a shadow of his former self. Douglas Costa was brought to replace him in the Bayern lineup and he had to settle for a lesser role in the squad.
Ribery was a pivotal part of the treble-winning Bayern team of 2013 which conquered the whole of Europe. He teamed up with Arjen Robben to terrorise opposition defences and carve open teams with sumptuous wing play. His displays were so impressive that he placed third behind Ronaldo and Messi in the Ballon d'Or that year. Ribery has failed to replicate the form he showed then and his career has hit somewhat of a rut.
After retiring from international football, he could focus all his energy on the Bayern cause and recapture the admiration of the Bavarian faithful. This was far from the case. Injury after injury force him further down the pecking order and out of Guardiola's plans.
He felt that he had lost the trust of his manager and could not flourish under such conditions. Though Bayern won titles during the three years under Pep, Ribery was never at home in the strict and regimented set-up Guardiola looked to implement.
The Frenchman will be glad to see the back of Guardiola and the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.
Ribery has enjoyed a wonderful pre-season. He has been the star of the show for Bayern and scored four goals and recorded an assist along the way. In a recent interview, he spoke with delight about the new trust he feels Ancelotti has in him and the former Marseille midfielder is playing with joy once again. He can expect a bigger role under Ancelotti and the Italian coach will look to make use of his excellent delivery and pace as Bayern take a more direct approach.
Ribery's anger control problems have been well documented over the past years but trust Carlo Ancelloti to coax the best out of the winger. The European football stage may well see Ferraribery at his best once again.