Vilanova: "There are no doubts about Ibrahimovic"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova gave an interview to Catalan radio station Ona FM. Some excerpts.




Ibrahimovic
"People think that the first day you will already see the same level of performances as before. But it doesn't work like that. There are no doubts about his skills. He has won five leagues in a row in Italy, where it's not easy for a striker.

He will perform very well and he will bring us things we maybe didn't have before. I don't want to make comparisons with Eto'o. Eto'o had some extraordinary seasons at Barcelona and both are great players."

The new season
"It's impossible that we now already would be at the same cruising speed as we had at the end of last season. Besides that, one shouldn't forget that in our first league game, we played without Messi and Iniesta, probably two of the best players in the world."

Chygrynskiy
"We have seen Chygrynskiy play a lot and we have been following him closely for several months. Because of the way Shakhtar and Lucescu have been playing, it will be easy for him to adapt here. He can build up very good, with both legs."

Read more:
Vilanova: "Shakhtar comes very close to our style"
Vilanova: "Pep and I are ready for the bad times"

Quote of the day: Vilanova

It's Pep who's preparing everything
and sometimes he surprises even me.

Tito Vilanova, Barcelona assistant coach

more quotes and numbers

Vilanova: "Details will decide the final"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Which team is the favourite to win the final?
They are the champions.

You've watched a lot of videos?
We're watching the videos, but in the end the players will be the ones out there. We can think about what could happen, but at this level they are the ones who are playing and who can decide this type of games.

What can decide a Champions league final?
The details. Last season it was decided by a slip of Terry. And because of that, everyone said that Manchester United were the good ones and Chelsea the bad ones. That's the unfairness of football.

Will there be a lot of goals?
They score a lot of goals and we are doing the same. So it's possible it will be a final with some goals.

Messi didn't appear in the celebration picture in 2006, Henry lost that final, Iniesta only came on as a sub… That's positive for Barça because these players are more motivated?
Yes, sure. Besides, Manchester United won it last season. So of course they want to win this trophy, that's logical, but they will always be a little less hungry than the team that didn't win it. In this case, we have to win that trophy from them. They did it before, they are defednding their title and it's up to us to try and get it from them.

With the Liga and the Copa won, the pressure is a little less for Barça?
No, pressure is something you put on yourself. I've never felt pressure from outside. Not now and not at the start of the season. It's nonetheless true that it's different to get to a final when you didn't yet win anything and this is your last chance to win something than when you've already won two trophies before. But after the effort we've made, coming through the preliminary rounds and with the great teams we have faced, now we have to be moved by hope and dreams rather than by pressure. The one who has more hope and willingness to win is the one who will win. Pressure isn't a good ting when you have to play a final.

When it comes down to trophies, you will be the best team in history if you win the Champions League?
If you only look at the trophies, we sure will be, because nobody has won the treble before. But that's not an extra motivation for me.

What moves you then? The desire to rest?
The desire to win.


this was the second and last part of this interview, you can read the first part here:
Vilanova: "The line-up is the last thing"

Read more:
Keita: "We have to make one more step"
Messi: "When we have the ball, we enjoy ourselves"
Xavi: "We have to go out there, win it and that's it"
Pique: "I will score in Rome"
Keita: "We're convinced we can win the treble"

Vilanova: "Pep and I are ready for the bad times"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova gave an interview to Spanish sports weekly paper Don Balón.





Is it possible to win the treble: Liga, Champions League and Copa?
At this moment, this possibility isn't crossing my mind. Two of those competitions are cup competitions with direct elimination and in those you have to be good ànd have some luck. When you're doing everything you should in the league, you have a big chance to win it because you depend more on yourself. In a cup competition a detail can decide everything. It's just very difficult and I'm not saying this to give a good image.

Who are the most dangerous rivals?
There's a lot of league left and if we drop back, each of the five or six teams behind us can come close if they win some games in a row. Historically speaking, Real Madird has of course always been the big rival but that doesn't mean that a team like Valencia is going strong, with a great squad and a coach who knows want he wants. We'll see how the other teams will deal with playing several competitions.

And which teams will be the biggest rivals in the Champions League? Manchester? Chelsea? Real Madrid?
As we speak, our most dangerous rival in the Champions League is Lyon. Sincerely, if you don't pass this round, you won't be able to think about the other teams.

Which of the two competitons would you like to win most: the Liga or the Champions League?
I would like to win both but having a closer look, I would prefer to win the Liga. In the Champions League you need to have some luck at certain moments. The Liga on the other hand means work, regularity, and the club didn't win it for two years. I think we should make a special effort to win the league again.

Are you prepared for when the bad moments will arrive?
Yes. I'm ready and I think Pep is too. We didn't change after the loss against Numancia and the draw againt Santander. I continue to think that the latter was one of our best games of the season, but we had problems scoring. When we prepared for the game againt Sporting Gijón, we were reminded several times that in case we lost that would be the worst start in the history of the club. So I think we're prepared. Since the beginning it's clear to us that we should do what we believe is right. So when we make a mistake, it will be our mistake. It won't be about the ideas of others.

Barça has the best squad in the world?
No. I think that, at this moment, the best squad, or one of the bests, is that of Manchester United and that's why they are the European and Intercontinental champions. At the end, the best squads are those that win, the others don't count.

You're a former youth player yourself and the youth players are very important for the current team, right?
They are extremely important. When you're away with the group and you see there are eight or nine players from the academy eating at one table, you're thinking: "This is Barça's first team, this is the highest you can get". It's impressive. Our players know each other for years, they know very well how the club is functioning, you know they will be united, that nothing can surprise them about the club, because they've been here since they were younger and they've lived everything. That's all very important and it makes our work easier.

You don't feel like everyone in Europe is jealous about you right now?
No. I think that people see Barça as a club that plays good football, both with and without the ball. It's very satisfying that they like our way of playing but good teams, good squads, are those that win and this team hasn't won anything for two years. We cannot consider ourselves the best as long as we don't win something.

There's talking about Villa or Van Persie for next season, although it doesn't seem the current squad needs to be changed a lot...
Well, the results will determine what will happen. When the team wins, people will think that one or two changes is enough and if the team stops wnning, everyone will say that players who are here for a long time will have to leave. And the same happens with the coach. Barcelona has an excellent squad and there aren't many changes needed, and even less because our players are quite young.

There's a lot of pressure coaching Barça?
I personally didn't notice that pressure. In fact, last year, in the fourth division with Barça B, the first year of Pep, where we had a difficult promotion play-off, the pressure was even higher, because everbody expected that we would promote. This year we know that we have a quality squad and that it will be our fault if the teams doesn't do well. So that's why I didn't feel the pressure until now. When we will start losing games, that's when we will start feeling the pressure of this club but at this moment, I'm just enjoying myself.


This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Vilanova: "We might only be here for two years"

Read more:
Puyol: "Tattoos are one of my passions"
Hleb: "I know that scoring is my problem"
Valdes: "I'm not only looking at the money"

Vilanova: "Iniesta is our best winter transfer"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





If we see how the team is doing now, can we demand at least one trophy?
I don't know. We feel the obligation to play every game in a way that brings joy to the people. If you keeping winning matches, trophies will follow.

But if you keep this rhythm, the Liga could be decided in March...
You hear a lot of comments. Some say we won't be able to keep this going. I think we can keep it up physically because the players are doing great and there have been some rotations. I don't know if we will have a drop-back, but I have the feeling that the players are feeling good both at training as during the games.

And you can again count on Iniesta.
For us, it's a very important player. He's excellent, very, very good. We are happy because the team did well during his absence, but on the other hand I think he'll be our best possible winter transfer. With the motivation with which he will return, he'll overshadow everyone else on the pitch.

What do you think about the changes in Madrid?
I think it's good. The same happened two years ago when they were going through problems, they were able to create a positive atmosphere and they ended up winning the league. I would hope that we could also be that united when the team isn't doing well.

How is it to work with Guardiola?
The fact that we understand each other on the training pitch or when preparing the games, makes everything easier. Because he's the first one who arrives and the last one who leaves, he forces us to reach a higher level.

You think he could be the Ferguson of Barcelona?
I don't know. But for the time he'll be here, he wants to do a good job. If not, he prefers not to do it at all.

You think Henry has already fully adapted?
He gets better every day that goes by. The fact that he scored three times against Valencia maybe set him free and he's making good progress. His last three games were the best I can remember since he's at Barça. I'm convinced that he will have scored a lot of goals at the end of the season and that he will be important for us.

Can you ask more from Messi?
He's a player who asks a lot from himself. I think he's still very young and that he has therefore still a margin to get better. I don't know if he will set one more step, but he's very young so it's possible.

What about Eto'o?
I had heard that it was a player with a character, but I can only talk about what I have seen and for us he has been a person with whom it's easy to work. He has always acted in an educated way and if there's something he wants to tell you, he comes down and talks about it with you face-to-face. His attitude couldn't be better.

You give priority to some competition?
No. We're involved in all three with the same desire and motivation. The club hasn't won anything for two years so the fans wouldn't allow something else. Although you should have some luck with injuries, you should try to win them all.


This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Vilanova: "It's important to talk straight"

Read more:
The first impressions of assistant coach Vilanova
Guardiola has his team in place
Vilanova talks: "They should run or play tennis"

Vilanova talks (4): "They should run or play tennis"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova talked in an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo about the team and the season so far.






Is there more movement with Keita than with Touré?
Keita is a better finisher and Xavi can cover his back. It's true that Touré stays more in position but it's sometimes better to have that kind of player when your two full backs are going forward.

Cáceres will play more as central defender or as left back defender?
He can play at both positions. It's a new player and the people are enxious to see him out there but sometimes it's better to give the young players the time to grow and make progress. Manchester United has done the same with players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Nani, so people should just be a little patient. In this club we had cases like Quaresma, who absolutely had to play but sometimes it's just better to offer them a calm environment. Cáceres and Piqué are very good players but they should adapt to the club and the best thing to do is maybe to let them play every now and then. It's not easy to arrive at this club when you're only 20 or 21 years old.

Why is working hard seen as a success when it should only be something normal?
It's a duty and there's no other way for a team. Quality players should also help each other out because you cannot win anything on your own. If you don't want to do that, you better go and play tennis. Football is a team sport. So if we don't have the ball, it's not acceptable that only six or seven players are defending while the others are just looking and doing nothing. People are talking about the fact that we're having dinner together ot that we arrive one hour before the training session while this should be a normal thing. A profesional player should take care of his body and if he doesn't, he'll be out there for five years instead of ten.

What happened over the two last seasons has made that there was some controversy on the permission for Eto'o to skip two training sessions last week.
If I could, I would sign to win two Spanish leagues and a Champions League in the next five years. People seem to think that we have won ten Champions leagues but we only won two and the last one was won only recently. Those who were here before us did a great job. People feel that with the potential that was there, the squad could have performed better but I don't want to make a judgment about the past.

Do you understand that the fans are afraid that the same bad things will be repeated?
People can be relaxed about this. We won't let anything happen that shouldn't happen.

This was the last part of this interview, you can read the others parts here:
Vilanova talks (3): "4-4-2 leads to more problems"
Vilanova talks (2): "There was no winger available"
Vilanova talks (1): "I'm convinced we'll win the Liga"

Vilanova talks (3): "4-4-2 leads to more problems"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova talked in an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo about the team and the season so far.





It worries the staff that Henry isn't being decisive?
No, Henry had a good pre-season. Generally he's making all the movements we ask him to make in a good away. On the other hand it's true he missed some good scoring chances and the work you're doing is more seen when you score. We think he can adapt to our system and that he could add something to the team. And we're very satisfied with his attitude.

He has dealt well with returning to the left wing when he probably expected to be the centre forward if Eto'o would have left?
I'm sure he'll play matches as centre forward this season, but you shouldn't forget that Henry comes from a team that played the counter-attack which means there was a lot of space for him, just like what happened to Alves with Sevilla. You don't have that space playing for Barcelona. They need to adapt to that but I'm sure they will.

Henry has told the staff that he feels better playing in the centre than on the wing?
He's a player who's not used to playing with wing attackers. It's a tradition in this club but you don't find that anywhere else. But I have to say we're very happy that he's not having any physical problems for several weeks now and that he's training well.

The fact that you now have several players like Henry and Messi who are no pure wingers but still have to play that position could lead to putting aside the club's philosophy and changing the system?
We've already tried a 4-4-2 but if you start a game with a 4-4-2 and you are confronted with a team who is waiting for you in their box and leaves you very little space, like Numanica, you will have even more problems. If the opponent closes everything down, there's no other way to deal with that than to make the pitch long and wide. If you don't do that, it's very difficult to win the game and even more if you're not sharp in front of the goal.


You can read the first and the second part of this interview here and here. Later you'll have the last part of this interview with Vilanova talking, amongst other things, about the choice between Touré and Keita and the position of Cáceres.

Vilanova talks (2): "There was no winger available"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova talked in an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo about the team and the season so far.



The technical staff takes the responsability for not having signed a winger?
You have wing players but they are not on the market because Barcelona cannot transfer them. They are playing at top clubs who don't want to sell. Not every player can play at Barcelona, only four or five players can and those are already with the best clubs in the world. A new player should be really good. If that kind of transfer is not possible, we have the players from the B team who always have given a lot to the club. We're the only club who produces wingers.

The 4-3-3 system is too rigid for the players?
You can use the 4-3-3 in several ways, you can even make it look like a 4-4-2. When your centre forward drops back to midfield it's actually a 4-4-2, like we have tried once during the pre-season. What is very specific for us that we always have possession and we are always playing without any space. That's something that only happens to us, not even the other top clubs have to deal with that.

You can re-educate Messi so that he doesn't cut inside too much?
Leo is an incredible quality player. Close to the box, he's the most decisive player in the world. He has only done few training sessions with the group and you really need to have to be able to coordinate a series of movements depending on the zone where the ball is. But these are simple things and he already did that in pre-season, so there aren't problems.

Whose fault is it that Alves is not always covered when he goes forward?
The attack is not the problem. The problem arises when the centre backs and the attacking wingers are opening the pitch and the central defenders are doing the same trying to create something. When you then lose a ball, you have fifty metres in your back and the team has to reorganize quickly. Alves went forward 20 times and the Numancia left midfielder only was able to take advantage of that two times with one of his crosses leading to the goal. So you can't really say that there's a problem at the right wing because that player could make two runs. We all now that Alves always has the intention to go forward. If that wouldn't be the case, he wouldn't be the Alves we know.


You can read the first part of this interview here. Later you'll have the other parts of this interview with Vilanova talking, amongst other things, about the position of Thierry Henry and the choice between Touré and Keita.

Vilanova talks (1): "I'm convinced we'll win the Liga"

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova talked in an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo about the team and the season so far.


What is your function?
Together with the other members of the staff, I organize the training session, I prepare the matches by watching videos of the opponents and I advise Guardiola.

Why are you convinced that Barcelona will win the Liga?
Because I see the players train every day with a lot of motivation. You don't have to talk to them about their attitude, maybe even the opposite. Gudjohnsen for example didn't have to come to the training on Monday but he had a very good voluntarily session.

Which quality of Guardiola will make the group overcome the last two defeats?
One defeat as I'm concerned, because I see the Wisla game as a 4-1 win. Pep loves football, he knows this club better than anybody and he knows what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. He knows how to motivate the players at the right moment.

Being a man of the club gives him more credit?
No, at the contrary, it never has. Someone coming from outside would have been given more credit. And certainly with the current sitution, there's no margin for errors.

The 1-0 against Numancia was an unexpected blow?
We knew that they would give us the whole pitch and they had the luck that they could score soon. It wasn't easy, but to say it simple, it's a reality that we had five or six clear chances that could easily have lead to three or four goals.

Have you seen that the group took a lack of confidence in away games with them from last season?
I would like to link the game in Poland to the 4-0 of the first game, which makes it a different game. In both games we created ten clear chances. With Eto'o, Messi, Bojan and Henry, you normally score three or four goals then. Against Numancia the problem was that we wanted too much instead of waiting and being more calm.

The player who is the least patient waiting for the ball is Messi?
Today there are no natural wingers anymore because we play a different system than all other teams in the world. The other clubs don't need wingers, so they just don't exist. We put players on the wing because they can play there but at the same time they are more used to play in the centre. Leo did quite good what we asked from him during the pre-season.


In the coming days, you'll have the other parts of this interview with Vilanova talking, amongst other things, about the 4-3-3 system and the position of Thierry Henry.

The first impressions of assistant coach Vilanova

New Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova gave his first impressions about the start of the pre-season in an interview with the club's official media. Some quotes:

What’s the first week of training with the Barça first team been like?
Very good. It’s our first contact with the players and they’ve been able to get used to the way we do things a bit. They are all very ready to work and we are very happy with all of them.

Have you worked more on physical or tactical issues?
At the start of the season you normally work on the physical side, though we’ve also dealt with tactics. A lot of ball work, moving the ball around and positional play. We’ve also worked hard to bring in tactical considerations.

Pep Guardiola has said more than once that people will be very proud of this team because the players give their all on the pitch. Although they still haven’t played a match, can we be proud of the first week?
We are, much more than we expected. There’s been no change in the training or in the demands we put on players. They’re young and really want to play. Training has been at the same level and with the same interest and excitement. They need to come along and work hard, but they also need to have a good time as when they do, they work more, which is what we’re after.

There have been some changes, such as switching from La Masía to the Miniestadi...
It would be ideal if we had 4 or 5 pitches, like you get in the Ciudad Deportiva. The Ciudad Deportiva is great but maybe lacks some things for the first team. It’s true that the team has achieved a lot of successes when it trained at La Masía. But the distances at La Masía, and especially the way we organise the training sessions, don’t allow for it. We try to ensure there is time between exercises to drink some water. You can’t do that at La Masía because there’s no room and you waste a lot time changing the cones and fences. We do get that at the Mini but not as much as we’d get at the Ciudad Deportiva, with two pitches. We try to make the time the players spend out on the pitch as intense as possible but they don’t need to be out there for two hours to do that.

What are your goals for this week in Scotland?
In the first week we worked on defence and defensive tactics. In the second week we’ll look at the attack, when we have the ball and how to lay out the team. In the first week they have to get used to the typical soreness and niggles, so we begin the harder work and the games in the second week and that’s what players like because training morning and afternoon gets to be a bit of a pain. In the second week we make more physical demands and they feel increasingly comfortable as the soreness and niggles start to disappear and they feel better.

You’ll be playing two games in Scotland and people are anxious to see how Pep Guardiola’s Barça will play. Will we see a bit of that style or is it still too early?
Things have changed over the years. Years ago people didn’t see the first team’s preseason games. The Gamper came along and we all went along very excited to see the first team for the first time. Now everything’s on TV right from the word go. Sometimes people expect to see the level you only reach in October or November, when the team has played with the new players, the new system and the new methods, and done the new training sessions. That’s impossible because some players are still missing in the first week. People need to see us over time and see how we do then.

Before you said you were looking for fun in training sessions. Is playing games in Scotland part of this new way of working to stop the players getting bored?
Well, there’s also the question of temperatures. It’s true that we had good temperatures for the first week in Barcelona, which is not usual. I think it’s easier to play friendlies in places where the temperatures are better. So what you’re looking for is better temperatures and playing away from Barcelona.

After playing in the Barça academy, last year you became assistant coach of Barça B and a year later you are with the first team. What’s that experience been like?
It’s a dream in the sense you can’t believe it’ll happen so quickly. I had been at Barça since I was very small and I’d been a youth coach. Since then I’ve been working elsewhere and now I’m back. It’s all been really quick, but football’s like that: you’re in one place then another, playing in the First Division and then in the Second and so on. The important thing is that Pep trusted in me and wanted me to help him. I know that there are a lot of people around Pep who would have liked to work with him, and the fact that he asked me obviously pleases me but also makes me aware of my responsibility. The fact of getting the call for the first team is even more exciting, because you just have to think about the number of people who would like to be in my shoes. I’m really happy.

There was talk that Pep Guardiola might choose someone else as an assistant but in the end it was you. Did you decide to be a long-term partnership when you came together with the reserve team?
Nowadays you don’t know how long couples are going to last... (laughter). I’ve always told him to do what he wants. If he’d chosen someone else, that would have been fine by me. He’s the one who decides and at the end of the day you have to do things willingly and not because you’re forced to. So he had to be convinced and I’m pleased he’s picked me, though if he hadn’t there would have been no problem.

What’s your role as assistant coach?
Sometimes people talk about good cop, bad cop with the assistant coach, but I don’t think it’s like that. You have to be straightforward with the players and respect them and that way they believe in you. Nor do I believe in those who say nothing at training and it’s the other one who gives the orders. When people are doing an exercise, both of us have to say things. As head coach he is in charge and takes final decisions, but there’s never just one person telling the players what to do as we try to split up the field. It’s a thing for two people, though he of course has the final responsibility.

Guardiola has his team in place

Barcelona announced today on its official website that new Barcelona manager Jose Guardiola has finalized the team that will assist him during his time as Barcelona head coach.

GUARDIOLA'S NEW TEAM OF ASSISTANTS

Sandra Sarmiento - fcbarcelona.cat

FC Barcelona’s first team coach already has his team of assistants in place: Tito Vilanova (picture left), Juan Carlos Unzué and Lorenzo Buenaventura.

This new team has four major goals for the 2008/09 season. They are to drive excellence and professionalism in the dressing room; to stress player performance and what impacts on it; provide more scientific parameterisation to monitor the players’ physical condition and health; and new training and fitness routines.

Coaching staff
Josep Guardiola will be head coach and will have three assistants: Tito Vilanova as assistant coach, Juan Carlos Unzué (picture right) as goalkeeping coach among other duties, and Lorenzo Buenaventura in charge of physical fitness and performance.

Lorenzo Buenaventura
Born in Seville, the physical fitness coach has come to FC Barcelona after a spell at Cadiz CF. Buenaventura has also worked at RCD Espanyol, Atlético de Madrid and for Argentina. He will be in charge of the team’s physical preparation with three aims:

- Tactical physical fitness work to make training more intense
- Planning individual and group physical training, scientific measurement and continuous assessment of levels of strength, stamina and speed of players.
- Managing all the variables which affect a player’s performance: performance on the field, individual physical preparation, diets, rest, avoiding injury, and sports physiology and psychology.

Fitness coaches
The first team will have three fitness coaches working under Lorenzo Buenaventura: Paco Seirul•lo as lead fitness coach; Aureli Altimira, who last season was with Josep Guardiola at Barça B, will be in charge of field work; and Francesc Cos will be in charge of strength work.

The doctors
Ricard Pruna and Daniel Medina will look after the footballers’ health. Medina was with Barça B and the indoor football team last season. New this season is the setting up of the physiology applied to top level sport department, led by physiologist Esteban Gorostiaga’s team. With extensive experience in professional football (Liverpool, Valencia, Osasuna, etc.), Gorostiaga is also a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission.

All the doctors, physiotherapists and chiropodists in the medical section will work closely with the physical fitness department to maximise physical performance and reduce injury rates.

http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/noticies/futbol/temporada07-08/06/n080630104769.html

pep's opinion:
the arrival of buenaventura was already known, but that he really becomes guardiola's assistant (kind of replacing eusebio) shows the emphasis guardiola will lie on the physical preparation. in that perspective the most important change could be the appointment of gorostiaga, who apparently could introduce some kind of "barça lab". one of my points of view about the team performance last season has been that the dramatic collapse of the team from february on can only have been caused by physical reasons, which makes me very pleased about this first 'revolution' of guardiola.

Read more:
Guardiola signs two-year deal
Guardiola's staff
Who will assist Guardiola?

Guardiola signs two-year deal

Barcelona has announced the signing of a two-year contract by new manager Josep Guardiola and his assistant Tito Vilanova (read more here).

The statement on the official website reads: "On Thursday midday, Josep Guardiola put pen to paper as the new first team head coach for the next two seasons. At the same time, Tito Vilanova signed his contract to join the first team coaching staff."

When leaving the club's offices, Guardiola, who wants to stay focused on Barcelona B for the next days, said to journalists that he was satisfied: "I cannot deny that I'm very happy, although I know the responsibility is immense. Today we have just formalized what we had agreed upon before. In 10 or 12 days we will reply to all your questions."

In an interview with the official club media, Guardiola showed his surprise about the way his career as coach is developing: "Everything has been going very fast. Not so long ago I decided to start coaching and in a blink I've now signed a contract as Barcelona manager."



Read more:
Deal with Guardiola
Guardiola's staff
Guardiola yet to sign his contract

Guardiola's staff

While it is believed that a deal has been reached earlier this week with future Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola (37) (read more here), it is also generally excepted that Barcelona B assistant coach Tito Vilanova will continue to be Guardiola's right hand next season (read more here).

The main lines of Vilanova's contract were also agreed upon this week. Josep Maria Orobitg, the agent of Guardiola, informed Vilanova on the talks on Wednesday evening and the assistant will most probably give his agreement shortly.

The composition of the rest of the coaching staff is not yet clear. Bulgarian newspaper Meridian Mach claimed last weekend that former Barcelona forward Hristo Stoichkov (42) had accepted an offer to become an assistant of Guardiola. This news was not confirmed and Stoichkov would now be negotiating with Red Star Belgrade to become head coach.

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Guardiola has suggested the appointment of Real Sociedad manager Juan Manuel Lillo (42) (picture), who has a very close relationship with Guardiola, as assistant but that this was vetoed by the Barcelona board (read more here).

The club thinks that Lillo has a poor track record. But most of all, during the election process of 2003, both Guardiola and Lillo were part of the candidacy of Lluís Bassat, then the main rival of Laporta. Letting the duo Guardiola-Lillo take charge of the team would be like admitting that the Bassat project was in fact the right one.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims nevertheless that Lillo could be added to the coaching staff when the competition in Segunda División ends next month. Catalan sports paper Sport claims that there simply won't be a second assistant coach next season.

Sport says that current goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Unzué (41) would be willing to continue, although he could also accept an offer by another club to become head coach. Barcelona B goalkeeping coach Carles Busquets (40) is a valid alternative for Guardiola.

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that Guardiola has rejected the continuation of Unzué, despite attempts of Barcelona officials to convince the new manager. Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Guardiola wants to take Busquets with him and doesn't want to give in to the pressure from the club to keep Unzué on board.

In the physical department it is expected there will be some serious changes, but all of this is yet to be confirmed.

Although no official announcement has yet been made, it is generally believed that former Barcelona player Luis Enrique will replace Guardiola as manager of Barcelona B (read more here). This week, Luis Enrique has been following some training sessions of the team.

Fernando Hierro, sports director of the Spanish football association, confirmed earlier this week that Luis Enrique will not accept his offer (read more here) because he has chosen to coach Barcelona B next season: "After a few meetings, Luis Enrique has in the end taken the decision to accept the offer of Barcelona. His motivation and the possibility to stay with his family in Barcelona have been decisive."

Read more:
Who will assist Guardiola?
Deal with Guardiola
Luis Enrique to coach Barcelona B

Who will assist Guardiola?

Together with Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45), his assistants Johan Neeskens (56) and Eusebio Sacristán (44) will have to leave at the end of the season. The situation of Barcelona goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Unzué (41) is unclear: it is not yet decided if he will stay or if Barcelona B goalkeeping coach Carles Busquets (40) will take over.

Rijkaard's successor Guardiola is expected to take a part of the Barcelona B technical staff with him to the first team. His currect assistant Tito Vilanova (picture, at the left) will most probably continue to act as Guardiola's right hand next season.

Former Barcelona captain Luis Enrique (38) was mentioned as a possible candidate to return to Barcelona as assistant coach, both in case that Guardiola or Mourinho would become the next Barcelona manager, and felt ready for the job (read more here).

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo nevertheless claims that Luis Enrique has received some offers in the meantime and would be close to accept an offer from the Spanish football association to work with several youth teams. Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Guardiola has urged Barcelona to sign his former team-mate as Barcelona B manager.

Juan Manuel Lillo (42) is being put forward as another possible assistant. Lillo was Guardiola's coach when the latter ended his career playing for the Mexican club Dorados and has in the past been coaching Salamanca, Oviedo, Tenerife and Zaragoza when they played in the Spanish Liga.

Since a few months he is the coach of second division team Real Sociedad, who he still can lead to the Primera División. Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona, Lillo, whose contract with Sociedad expires in June, said at a press conference that he's now totally focusing on his club and will not pronounce on his future before the season ends mid-June.

Read more:

Official: Rijkaard out, Guardiola in

Luis Enrique ready for assistant job

Guardiola takes Mourinho's pole

The race to the bench: Guardiola takes Mourinho's pole (1)

This week there was a sudden and quite drastic turn-around in the race to next season's Barcelona bench. While former Chelsea manager José Mourinho (45) has been the top candidate since the beginning of this year, Barcelona B manager Josep Guardiola (37) seems now to to have taken over his position.

Everything began after last Saturday's defeat against Betis Sevilla and the subsequent rumours about an early exit of current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45), with Guardiola then coming forward as the only possible emergency solution to replace Rijkaard until the end of the season (read more here and here). This scenario seems nevertheless history after the away win against Schalke 04 in the quarter finals of the Champions League.

But on Wednesday Guardiola turned from a possible temporary solution into a possible definitive solution when Catalan television station TV3 claimed that the Barcelona board would have decided not to go on with Rijkaard and that Barcelona president Joan Laporta had approved the proposal of Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain to appoint Josep Guardiola as his successor. Guardiola would be assisted by his current assistent Tito Vilanova and by former Barcelona player Luis Enrique.

Only a few hours later, Barcelona took the very unusual initiative to release an official statement denying the rumour: "FC Barcelona denies categorically that the club would have decided to replace manager Frank Rijkaard next season. The Dutch coach has a contract until the year 2009 and the board of directors has total confidence in him."

What is very clear for most Barcelona insiders is that Barcelona president Joan Laporta is still holding on to Rijkaard. The president would like to finish his term with the manager he started with back in 2003 (read more here). If Barcelona would win the Champions League (or who knows, the Liga), there would be no doubt and Rijkaard would start in the summer his sixth season as Barcelona head coach.

(this is the first part of this contribution, the second part will be published tomorrow, the third part on Monday)