The race to the bench: Guardiola takes Mourinho's pole (3)

If current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45) will have to leave at the end of the season, Barcelona is expected to look for a manager with the same profile as the Dutchman, namely a manager who has an attacking style on the pitch, who looks for the dialogue with the players and who gives a worthy image of the club off the pitch. Barcelona president Joan Laporta again made that clear on a meeting with the penyes on Sunday, describing the way the team should always play: "We should choose to control the game. Our team likes to have the ball and play with it, seeking the victory by doing so."

Villareal manager Manuel Pellegrini (54), Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc (42) and Getafe manager Michael Laudrup (43) all seem to be high on the list of candidates. Although some fans apparently did not forget how Laudrup left for Real Madrid in the summer of 1994 (read more here). Yesterday there were some anti-Laudrup slogans visible in the Camp Nou, one of them reading: "Laudrup, traitor. We don't want you anymore."

The number one candidate nevertheless seems to be current Barcelona B manager Josep Guardiola (37). It is believed that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain is putting Guardiola forward as the main option to replace Rijkaard. Last year, it was also Begiristain who offered his former team-mate the opportunity to start his career as manager with Barcelona B. Apparently with the aim to make him gain experience and to give him a more important role in the near future. Although an appointment this summer would come earlier than anyone could have expected back then.

Guardiola is said to be a manager who tries to combine quality football with sacrifice, hard work and tactical strength. He values the indiviual talent but even more so the team work. The former Barcelona captain knows the club inside out and has charisma and a strong character, which all should allow him to deal with the fans, the press and the players.

Despite being a true Barcelona legend, Guardiola did not think he was too good to start his second career in the Spanish fourth division. Barcelona B is in the race for the promotional play off to return to the third division. Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the initial plan of Guardiola was to promote with Barcelona B and then stay with the team for one more year.

If offered the job of head coach of the first team, Guardiola knows that the risk of burning himself too early is real. Although the board is divided on the issue and no candidate has the support of all board members, Barcelona president Joan Laporta seems to approve the choice of his sports director, so the offer could well come in the next weeks.

(this is the third and last part of this contribution, the first part was published on Saturday, the second part was published yesterday)