Bayern rise above the bubble

Pep Guardiola was likened, by The Guardian columnist Raphael Honigstein, to Spanish clothing retailer Zara this week — a comparison first made by ex-Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala-i-Martín.

Zara — they tell us — responds sharply to every trend and can freshen the pegs quicker than its competitors.

Pep, likewise, is not afraid to shuffle his pegs — his false nines and inverted wingers and infield full-backs — and rarely thrusts a square one in a round hole.