Barcelona president Joan Laporta has announced at a press conference that current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard will leave the club at the end of the season and that he will be replaced by Barcelona B manager Josep Guardiola (37). The decision was unanimously taken by the Barcelona board during a five-hour meeting.
pep's opinion:
my choice was mourinho. this is a huge risk, both for the club and for Guardiola. if he succeeds, it will be better than another manager succeeding. but if he fails, it will be worse than another manager failing. this could be too much too soon but i believe very much in Guardiola, in his qualities as a human being (in the first place) and consequently as a manager. gràcies frank, visca'l pep, visca'l barça! (and let me now look for a new nick, suggestions are welcome...)
Full name: Josep Guardiola Sala
Date of birth: 17 January 1971
Age: 37
Place of birth: Santpedor (Catalunya, Spain)
Position as player: central midfielder ('pivote')
Clubs as player: Barcelona (1990-2001), Brescia (2001-2002, 2003), AS Roma (2002-2003), Al Ahly (2003-2005), Dorados (2006)
Clubs as coach: Barcelona B (2007-2008)
Honours as player: 6 Spanish leagues (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999 ), 2 Spanish cups (1997 and 1998), 4 Spanish super cups (1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997), 1 Champions League (1992), 1 European cup winner's cup (1997), 2 European super cups (1992 and 1997)
Read more:
Guardiola to be the new manager
The Guardiola report
Guardiola backed by board but not by fans
Read everything on the Guardiola story here
Thursday, 8 May 2008
OFFICIAL: Rijkaard out, Guardiola in
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7 comments:
I suppose I should give Pep the benefit of the doubt and not form a rush to judgement which I feel almost every Barca fan and the press are bound to do. But I have some serious reservations about this hire. I think Pep would have been better suited filling an undertaker, assistant manager's position first before making such a jump. This isn't Badajoz that he's going to be game planning against anymore! I think he's waaay over his head, and I just hope and pray that the board will have some sense and hire some EXPERIENCED assistants to help Pep out. As for the anti-Mourinho "not pretty enough futbol style" rationale. Just ask Arsenal how far "pretty" futbol will take you these days! Pep, I'm going to say a prayer for you your going to need all the help you can get my friend!
I will develop more on Guardiola as a manager in the coming days (as far as we can already say something about it after not even one year as a head coach---and in alower league).
About the assistants: reports over the last days said that Luis Enrique was out of the picture since he had an offer from the Spanish federation. Guardiola will most probably bring a big part of his current Barcelona B staff with him. At Barcelona B his assistant is former Barcelona player Tito Vilanova, who is expected to be also his assistant coach next season.
What about the possibility about bringing back Henk Ten Cate? He seemed to work realy well with the players before and I think he would lend valuable experience to Pep's coaching staff. And is it any coincedence that once Henk left you started to hear more rumblings about fractionalism and dissent amoung the players and in the dressing room? Just something to ponder.
I forgot to add in my previous post a sincere THANK YOU to Mr. Rijkaard for his services to the organization. Surely you can question some of his decision making, but he was at the helm of some of Barca's most successful campaigns and that should be recognized as well....as for a new "nick" may I suggest "Pepito" (little Pep)?...Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. lol!
I think its also worth pointing out that the Barca braintrust can try as they may to spin it to the media that Mourinho wasn't their man because of his "perceived" style of futbol and that it wouldn't win over any of the millions of Barca fans worldwide...But I steadfastly believe that the REAL reason they never considered him is because there was no way that Laporta and the Board would ever concede Mourinho carte blanche with all personnel decision matters. And from what we know about Mourinho's personality, its "His way or the highway". He doesn't feel he should have to answer to anyone, nor need to "consult" or "receive permission" from upstairs when it comes to personnel decision matters. Not to sound like a "conspiracy theorist" but that is what I truly believe no matter what Laporta or the Board may say otherwise.
Sounds quite possible. This is not at all what I wanted to read but Guardiola was an experienced footballer so im sure he knows the pitch well, and even better, he played with Barca so he should have somewhat good judgement. My choice was Maurinho but oh well. Im gonna miss Frankie, I hope Guardiola can bring this team to the Barca we all know and love. He's only coached for one season though, that's a little scary...lets pray that he's a natural haha
Mourinho's style was surely adaptable to Barcelona (and it's not that the club really has one style, I mean: we went form Cruijff to Robson, look for the unity in style there...), so I guess it was more a personal thing and indeed the kind od carte blanche he wanted.
If you see what Mourinho was asking, it all seemed a little unreasonable too, I have to say. He says "a club should really want me". Ok, but it works in the other way too: he should really want the club, so he should also be ready to drop some of his demands and meet the club somewhere in the middle.
Let's see where Mourinho will end up now. He wanted a top club in Spain or Italy. Looks like it won't be Spain... Whatever it will be, it won't be as big as Barcelona and he probably knows.
Pepito sounds a little too spanish... It has to be short (3-5 letters), sharp and preferably a little catalan. Trying to make a short list.
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