9 - Samuel Eto'o

[serghei]

The reason Pep shipped him off wasn't strictly football-related. I made that very clear in my post. He had his reasons. Whether he could have done differently and perhaps adjusted is a different question, but several legendary managers/head coaches in different sports have done the same and have a similar personality as him.

The comparison between Eto'o, Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure and Ribery was that they can all be very egoistical and have issues with being held accountable.

It wasn't a football ability or quality comparison.

But football ability is vital in every context. You just can't leave it out, as it is the no1 criteria for keeping or selling players. Anyway, I understand your point, but imo Eto'o case was an example of a conflict that should've been handled differently, as the conflict didn't translate on the field.

It's more like Bulls and Rodman. Hard cases and bold personalities that deliver on the field expertly are keepers and worth the hassle for every team regardless of manager. Sure, some managers are control freaks, but it doesn't mean they're right all the time.

Pep had his reasons, he was just wrong in this specific case. He was right with Ibra, because Ibra's problems infiltrated on the field and inside the team. Eto'o performed as good as he ever did in 2008-09. Guardiola sold a key player, brought a bad fit instead, and as a result, we went from a treble win in 2009 to just a La Liga in 2010.

I see it more as a pros-cons situation for every player. With Eto'o, there is little doubt imo that the pros were much bigger than the cons. As shown and proven on the field. That's the most important. We already had proof that Eto'o and Pep's ideas worked on the field to great effect. Eto'o had everything Pep values in a forward on strictly football levels: hard working, pressing maniac, goals, big game presence, great link-up play, creativity, versatility in terms of positioning.

I understand discipline, hell, I criticized Valverde all the time for allowing players to step on him, but Pep just was way too extreme, sometimes to the detriment of his own team, making it weaker as a result. Of course, his genius allowed him to correct things, but 2010 was a dip in terms of result and that dip exist mainly because of the Eto'o situation.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Ibra pushed too much too early, in a punk nasty way. Ibra is different than Eto'o. Eto'o had a completely different status and weight in the team. He was a legend that more than earned his role in the team. He was one of those players who are tough to handle, but for any smart manager, they are totally worth the hassle because they simply deliver in the biggest moments of the season. What Ibra did was bad taste.

Ibra didn't push it too early tbh. It was at the end.
Ibra quit on the team, and that can't be forgiven. But he wasn't treated fairly.
Pep requested him thinking he is a different player than what he truly is, when Txiki wanted Villa, Pep pushed for Ibra. Then he tried to put him on the wing for Messi which was a joke for Ibra.
He didn't try to slightly reconcile the relationship. Which would have benefited us when we tried to sell him at least.

You mean like Sir Alex Ferguson, Gregg Popovich and Bill Belichick?

Eto'o might have been a good team mate, but he didn't react well to authority or to being held accountable, and that's the first thing Pep did when he came in. Holing everyone accountable.

Could he have done it differently and kept him for another season? Maybe, but one of the reasons guys like that are so successful is because they don't take shit from anyone apart from in special circumstances where a player is extraordinary where you have to be a bit more careful.

Pep's approach is not perfect, but the players who have been critical of his approach are Eto'o, Yaya Toure, Ribery and Zlatan.

See a pattern there?

You end up being too lenient such players take control and you end up like Ancelotti at Bayern or Valverde at Barca.

All of those coach example have been able to manage egos perfectly, and it is huge part of their job,
Guy like Zidane & Lucho had a career largely because they could convince players to put down their ego.
Listen to how guys who talked about Pep in his early days here, Eto, Abidal & Henry for example. All had a very bad take on him. Henry say some truly bad things about Pep abilities, but he is saying it like it was positive, and this affected him as a coach later. He copy cat Pep foolish tactics thinking it is good thing and he lost dressing room too early.
Pep himself improved drastically as time went on, and he has done too many good things in his tenure here to focus on his bad behaviour, but that doesn't make his mistakes a right calls.
Pep didn't even try to make peace with Eto, Eto had feud with Rijkaard but it was solved quickly and Pep could have done that with the kater. He had to be convinced to even talk to him by the board and other players.

 

[serghei]

Ibra didn't push it too early tbh. It was at the end.
Ibra quit on the team, and that can't be forgiven. But he wasn't treated fairly.
Pep requested him thinking he is a different player than what he truly is, when Txiki wanted Villa, Pep pushed for Ibra. Then he tried to put him on the wing for Messi which was a joke for Ibra.
He didn't try to slightly reconcile the relationship. Which would have benefited us when we tried to sell him at least.

Come on, Ibra wanted to be a star more than to win big titles. He was all wrong. Eto'o is a charming dude in comparison with Ibrahimovic. Guardiola - Ibrahimovic has to be one of the most incredible logical fractures ever seen anywhere.

 

[Eshez]

Wasn't there some tax issue with Eto'o? He no longer qualified for the foreign worker exemption or something.

 

[RevoTeller]

Comparisons with Yaya Toure, Ibrahimovic and Eto'o are off. Eto'o was more quality, more key player in big games, was a Barcelona legend without a doubt, had a great mentality and desire to win. Everything that's worth keeping in a team.

I don't think people fully realize that Eto'o was the best striker of his generation. 2009 Eto'o would today be comfortably the best striker in the world ahead of Lewandowski, Suarez, Mbappe and others.

Pep tried to ship off Deco, Ronaldinho, Eto'o. With Eto'o he was proven wrong and had no footballing argument to see him off when he was instrumental to the team winning everything that season.

If anything Pep should consider himself lucky he couldn't ship off Eto'o sooner. Because the untouchable status for Pep was also obtained with the big contribution from Sammy in the sextuple season. We probably don't win CL in 2008-09 if Eto'o - Ibrahimovic deal happens 1 year sooner. And Pep's career could have panned out quite differently.

I completely agree with you and I also quote everything else you wrote in this thread.
Guardiola failed hard with Eto'o, history proved it with facts and also we lost for sure potential more throphies (especially on the big stage) by giving away the best striker in the world, who also was:

- a Bar?a legend
- a true cul?
- one of the most decisive on the biggest stage

 

[JamDav1982]

Etoo was a top player and too cheap when sold him but not only Pep wanted Ibra.. Cruyff was pushing for his profile as well.

Barca were correct to sell him as he and Pep were never going to see eye to eye and if it was one or other. Pep was the correct choice.

Etoo delivered on the pitch but Pep still saw things that he did not want in squad for long run and cant claim Barca win multiple CLs with him as doesnt work that way.

 

[Messigician]

Pep wanted complete striker Zlatan which is fair. But asking him to play second fiddle to Messi was ridiculous.

You don't buy a Ferrari and use it like a Fiat
Zlatan broke the record for most consecutive goals in the first half season yet he was rewarded by being benched or sent to the wings.

Why is a 6 foot 6 striker playing on the wings?

 

[Andresito]

Nobody probably foresaw that tiny Messi would explode as a false 9, despite him playing there a few times at the end of the 2008/09 season. Zlatan wasn't bought to play on the wings, he just happened to be moved because Messi was so good.

 

[Total-Football]

Pep wanted complete striker Zlatan which is fair. But asking him to play second fiddle to Messi was ridiculous.

You don't buy a Ferrari and use it like a Fiat
Zlatan broke the record for most consecutive goals in the first half season yet he was rewarded by being benched or sent to the wings.

Why is a 6 foot 6 striker playing on the wings?

Small correction. I distinctively remember that a failed deal with valencia was the reason why barca bought zlatan. Zlatan was just a panic buy

 

[khaled_a_d]

Small correction. I distinctively remember that a failed deal with valencia was the reason why barca bought zlatan. Zlatan was just a panic buy

I remember it other way around.
Ibra was Pep choice, we failed to get a deal. Txiki wanted Villa, Pep didn't.
After failing to get Ibra, Txiki tried to force a deal for Villa with Valancia but failed , Pep started to put pressure during contract negotiation, suddenly we give up and give Inter their deal and get Pep his number one option.

Same for Chygrnsky, we weren't convinced especially after he became ineligible for CL but Pep went stubborn for it, and we gave up for his demands.

 

[Andresito]

Pep had this naive idea of the perfect football team at the start of his career.
Chygrynskiy as the perfect ball playing CB and big technical Zlatan up front to complete the team with the smaller tiki-taka wizards.

 

[Messigician]

Pep had this naive idea of the perfect football team at the start of his career.
Chygrynskiy as the perfect ball playing CB and big technical Zlatan up front to complete the team with the smaller tiki-taka wizards.

Is it really naive though?

2nd treble winning season showed Messi can be great at RW and with another striker.

Henry Zlatan Messi is a great front 3 but perhaps Eto on the wings over Henry at this point woukd have been better.

Regardless I think that's a treble winning season with zlatan if he's never shifted out wide despite how well Messi played as a CF

 

[Arnaez]

Ibra never played a single game on the wing. He played as a 9 with freedom, then at some point Messi moved inside as a 10 and Ibra pushed up a bit higher.

 

[Messigician]

Ibra never played a single game on the wing. He played as a 9 with freedom, then at some point Messi moved inside as a 10 and Ibra pushed up a bit higher.

? He was playing on the wing that's a known fact either the wing or warming the bench

 

[Arnaez]

? He was playing on the wing that's a known fact either the wing or warming the bench

No they played like this

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/04/20/inter-3-1-barcelona-tactics-guardiola-mourinho/
http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/31/arsenal-2-2-barcelona-tactics-ibrahimovic-walcott-fabregas/