Jump to content

Barcelona - Life After Pep?


Mame Biram Diouf

Recommended Posts

Pep-Guardiola-007.jpg

So there seems to be a strong chance he will depart.

Now some people have said he could not go wrong with the squad he has so will it easy for them to carry on without him?

Porchy was saying if he goes key players will go, apart from Alves I can't really see anyone else leaving.

Who do you think will take over and will it relatively easy for them to have success?

I wouldn't be surprised from them to sign Neymar this summer to boost moral after a trophyless season and inject some new life into the time.

They deffo need to invest more squad depth, I mean they have been needing a left back for years, signing Alba makes too much sense

I hope they can continue to bring through the youngers would be a shame for them to go to waste.

If Bielsa comes in they wouldn't have too much adapting to do

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alves/Keita/Pedro I can see leaving

Neymar to Barca will get quicken with Pep's exit

Rosell has a fetish for Brazilians

Biesla IMO in the short term will do or even Frank De Boer but will Barca go back to a non-Dutch/Spanish coach again?

I think SBR/Venables were the last ones

The Canteraos will suffer the most IMO

Busquets will be great in Serie A

The Italian media are linking Pep with Milan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Pep does say tomorrow he is going I hope he takes a year out like he says, to me the guy looks tired and if you've read the book by Graham Hunter you'll realise how intense he is and his desire to win. What he has done since taking over at Barcelona is nothing short of incredible, them fans are spoilt with trophies and what has happened since is one of them things, it may come down to tiredness? Players may want something new? The failure to have a bigger squad with depth is one.

Life will go on if he goes, his laid the foundations for a huge future who ever takes over.

Tactically he is up there, the want to play a 3-4-3 is something else but there pressing game is exceptional and keeping up that intensity for the amount of time they have shows a next level of fitness.

A refreshing up of players will be good to see.

I really like Busquets, he gets a bad rap from some but he is a really top draw player.

  • Upvote 1
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it just me or has Messi looked a bit burnt out in the last few weeks also?

Wonder where the new manager would play him

Surely if Bielsa took over he would try sign Llronte?

Pep keeps playing him the full 90 minutes even when barca are up 4-0 he should of been subbed in the chelski match. Man has played non stop world cup and copa man needs a rest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

barcelona-fc.jpg

Sky Sports sources understand that Pep Guardiola has told Barcelona he will leave the club at the end of the season.

The Barcelonaspacer.gif boss has guided the Catalan giants to two UEFA Champions League titles in his four seasons with the club as well as a host of other trophies.

But the former Barca star's future has been a source of constant speculation for months and the 41-year-old is understood to have finally confirmed he intends to bring his time at the club to an end.

A joint press conference will be held by Guardiola and Barcelona president Sandro Rosell on Friday morning at 11am.

The decision follows Barcelona's sensational exit from the Champions League at the hands of Chelseaspacer.gifin Tuesday's semi-final.

Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes Guardiola could be planning to try his luck as a manager in the Premier League before long.

Balague told Sky Sports: "He has the urge to coach in another place. He wants to come to the Premier League.

"He couldn't make it here as a player. He was close to joining Wigan at one point I believe. Manchester Unitedspacer.gif wanted him at some point, Liverpoolspacer.gif and Spurs, but it didn't happen.

"And as a manager he wants to prove himself in the Premier League."

Guardiola's potential arrival in England would raise the possibility of some of Barcelona's famous players linking up with him in the Premier League.

And while Balague does not rule out the prospect, he believes a fresh voice may be what his current players need.

Asked about the chance of Barca's superstars coming to England, Balague said: "It's a good point because they are very close to him; they've grown to be better players with him.

"But at the same time, four years with the same manager, seeing the same face, you wonder if that is one of the reasons Guardiola, if he decides to leave, will leave."

And Balague notes there has already been speculation as to who will replace Guardiola as Barcelona manager next season.

"We have got four names that have been mentioned," he added. "Four names that are very much liked by president Sandro Rosell and the director of football Andoni Zubizarreta.spacer.gif"

The four managers that have been earmarked are believed to include Athletic Bilbao'sspacer.gif maverick Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa and ex-Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The two names making up the list of candidates are both former Barcelona players - France boss Laurent Blanc and Ernesto Valverde, who quit as Olympiakos manager last week.

A further possibility could be another former team-mate of Guardiola's, Roma boss Luis Enrique.

The 41-year-old spent eight years with the club as a player and three years coaching the B team before leaving for Italy last summer.

The options are believed to have already been lined up as a contingency plan should Guardiola decide upon a sabbatical.

Balague is also keen to rubbish suggestion this is a knee-jerk reaction to Barcelona's Champions League defeat to Chelsea in midweek.

He added: "Let me tell you a little story because I have been writing the biography of Guardiola. For six months he has been thinking of leaving.

"He had had it at the back of his mind and he uses it a bit as a mechanism because if he thinks he is going to stay another four years at Barcelona that would kill him because of the exhaustion of how he works; the amount of hours he puts in.

"This is not a decision just based on results or players that don't want him anymore or problems in the changing room. It just comes to the point where he tells the chairman he just cannot continue.

"The question is, would that blank cheque - the possibility to do anything he wanted at Barcelona - change his mind? I don't know. We will certainly know tomorrow (Friday's press conference)."

With Guardiola's spell in charge set to come to an end, thoughts turn to where he fits in among the pantheon of great coaches in Barcelona's history.

Balague believes Guardiola's achievements cannot be measured in terms of mere trophies, despite there being 13 of them during his time at the helm and the possibility of a 14th next month if Barca beat Athletic in the Copa del Rey final.

"He would say that Johan Cruyff was a bigger manager than him because not only has he won consecutive league titles, one European Cup and one final of another

European Cup, It's just the fact that Johan Cruyff changed the mentality of the club.

"But it is certain that he has taken the club to another level - a coach beyond titles. The style in which he has done it, the way he has made Messi the player that he is.

"It's just now you can see, talk to Brendan Rodgers, talk to Roberto Martinez, the influence of Pep Guardiola goes well beyond Barcelona."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it just me or has Messi looked a bit burnt out in the last few weeks also?

Wonder where the new manager would play him

Surely if Bielsa took over he would try sign Llronte?

Pep keeps playing him the full 90 minutes even when barca are up 4-0 he should of been subbed in the chelski match. Man has played non stop world cup and copa man needs a rest

Messi will throw his toys out the pram and won't speak to him for a few days if he doesn't play him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it just me or has Messi looked a bit burnt out in the last few weeks also?

Wonder where the new manager would play him

Surely if Bielsa took over he would try sign Llronte?

Pep keeps playing him the full 90 minutes even when barca are up 4-0 he should of been subbed in the chelski match. Man has played non stop world cup and copa man needs a rest

I've noticed this too, even against sh*t teams, he'll field a weak 11 including messi.

I'm sure it's Messi that wants to play though

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...