Thiago signed his contract extension in June 2011 up until 2015, while Pep was still coach and Rosell was President. But the low release clause virtually rendered the contract length irrelevant.
Good analogy!
You're right! We don't want to be like Chel$ki.
What sets Barca apart from most other clubs, is our world class cantera; La Masia. When Pep was coach he would look to our youth and improve them with good coaching, trust them in the senior team, let them learn from their mistakes, believe in them. And that belief was repaid by the likes of Busquets, Pedro, Pique, Cuenca, Tello and Thiago. Tito doesn't trust the youth. He would rather play Adriano in meaningless games, than blood a prospect like Bartra.
Young players make errors, and they can show inconsistency, this is normal. Pep understood this and that's what made him such a great man-manager. For a club that puts so much effort in to developing it's youth system, it's a waste
not to utilize it.
Tito has done a good job in the league at achieving the target, which was to regain it. And he did it with flying colours; 100 points. But is this his ONLY objective? Is Tito - Mourinho? A coach that is only interested in securing his own legacy, leaving no foundation to build on in the future? We are not Real Madrid or Chel$ki. Barca's philosophy is trust in it's youth policy and compliment it with a few superstars from abroad. I really don't think Tito is good at coaching youngsters, so I don't see the point in pursuing with a stubborn, short-sighted, uninspiring, blundering, one-trick-pony.
I don't even want to look at the Thiago tread anymore, it's that depressing.
Ask yourself this:
Should Tito's Barca, meet Pep's Bayern in the knockout stages of next seasons CL, do you really think we would progress? Even with a fit and firing Messi?