As Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola prepare to go their separate ways after the German Cup final, the relationship between them seems stronger than ever.
On Saturday, Douglas Costa lashed home the decisive winning penalty in the final against Borussia Dortmund in Berlin to secure Guardiola a fifth domestic trophy from six available in his tenure.
The Spaniard cried on the Olympic Stadium track as he displayed raw and genuine emotion post-match, suggesting that while the decision to move on to Manchester City may be correct, it was not as simple or carefree as it may have seemed.
Veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti takes over in Munich and has a difficult challenge ahead to build on and improve what is waiting for him.
The near-unmatched consistency of three successive Champions League semi-finals and almost universal agreement that Guardiola has improved the Bayern squad both individually and collectively should be enough to guarantee his place in history.
But along with not taking the final step to winning the Champions League, too often in the three-year relationship there was something indefinable which seemed to be missing.
“For the fans, though, the wins, and the football, and Bayern’s higher profile by virtue of their glamorous coach wasn’t quite enough,” German football analyst Raphael Honigstein wrote in the Guardian.
“What they wanted was something that Guardiola would not and probably could not deliver: some emotional investment, a sense of connection and concern for the people in the stands.”
Guardiola, with his era-defining approach to the game developed from Johan Cruyff and the Barcelona school, often had the approach of a detached professor at Bayern. Logically, almost scientifically, he would adjust the pieces of his team to make a stronger unit.
The contrast to the rough and ready approach of Juergen Klopp at Dortmund, and then his successor Thomas Tuchel, could not have been starker.
“It’s been a huge honour to be here at Bayern,” Guardiola said later, his composure regained. “I wish the club all the best.”
Tuchel was wholesome in his praise for his departing rival and hinted that Bayern may take time for Bayern to completely appreciate what Guardiola offered. “Pep has had an extremely strong influence on the Bayern tactics,” he said.
“Perhaps people will only recognise the true value when he is away.”
Ancelotti though is no slouch, with national titles in England, France and Italy to his name in addition to three Champions Leagues, one more
than Guardiola, should anyone be counting.
The additions of Renato Sanches from Benfica and Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, at an immediate expenditure of tens of millions of dollars, show is he being backed by the Bayern board.
And the reports that Mario Goetze and Mehdi Benatia could be set to leave before next season show that he is not afraid to make ruthless decisions in trimming those deemed surplus to requirements.
While Guardiola takes over a Manchester City side which scraped fourth place in the Premier League, Ancelotti has been handed the reigns of a club which is established as part of the global elite.
And should the Italian not kick on to win the Champions League again, it is doubtful critics will invest much time into trying to salvage Bayern’s next coaching relationship.