Few would have given Red Star Belgrade a puncher’s chance during last week’s Champions League opener against Manchester City.
But Pep Guardiola, ahead of their group-stage meeting at the Etihad Stadium, was in no mood for complacency, careful to guard his City side against a jab in the ribs and a bloody nose.
“(Red Star) are so aggressive. In some moments they don’t defend man to man. Sometimes they defend man to man. We have to be ready. (They are) quick in the transitions, (and have) good runners,” Guardiola told the Man City website.
“(They use) a 5-2-3 with a lot of players in the final third.”
City eventually triumphed 3-1 on the night but no one could say it was a comfortable evening. Red Star, or Crvena Zvezda as they are known in UEFA competition, took a shock lead on the stroke of half-time and held out until Julian Alvarez finally put the treble winners ahead on the hour mark.
Barak Bakhar impresses Pep Guardiola
There was to be no famous triumph over a European powerhouse for Barak Bakhar on this occasion, despite Red Star’s best efforts.
Bakhar’s Maccabi Haifa side humbled Juventus 2-0 in Israel a year earlier while running Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica close; the highly-rated 44-year-old head coach catching the eye of Rangers while earning Guardiola’s admiration along the way.
Bakhar, reportedly sounded out by the Gers following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, described that Ibrox interest as ‘flattering’ at the time. One suspects he was left with a similar feeling of pride as Guardiola gushed over Maccabi Haifa’s heroic display against the Italian giants.
“Well I saw last season (Bakhar was) with Maccabi Haifa in a difficult group against Juventus, Benfica and PSG,” Guardiola added.
“My staff analyse what he has done with Maccabi Haifa against (Kylian) Mbappe, (Lionel) Messi and Neymar for example. Very impressed with the courage and bravery to play against them.”
Mick Beale under pressure at Rangers
With 11 trophies in a decade as a head coach, Bakhar’s enviable collection of silverware speaks for itself. Another league title could soon be on it’s way too; Red Star winning five of their seven Serbian top-flight games since his appointment over the summer.
And with doubts growing about Mick Beale despite three successive wins in all competitions, Bakhar’s outstanding track record, his European pedigree, and the admiration of Pep Guardiola will all fall firmly into the ‘pros’ column should he appear on Rangers’ short-list again in the coming months.
