Puyol the wall
sent-up-the-bomb
you have got to stay.Wenger?
Good thing you have a Larsson avatar...
Everything points to it man
you have got to stay.Wenger?
Good thing you have a Larsson avatar...
Everything points to it man
Interesting beliefs. I'm not so sure I share them. I've seen no proof whatsoever of any of it other than the very warm personal relations between Guardiola and Bielsa.
There are a lot of reasons why one might not want the head coaching job at Barcelona: it's a very high pressure job with extremely high expectations that come along with it. Look at what 4 years in the job did to Guardiola. There are also issues like PR and, well, have YOU ever watched a Bielsa press conference? I have and he's not the very best public speaker.
Bielsa IS a very good coach and he's worked wonders with Athletic -- who, let us not forget, are still active in three competitions -- and he seems comfortable there and he's absolutely loved there (this from the several Athletic socios I know and the way people flock to him after practices - Athletic's practices are all open). [size=+1]Bielsa, it seems to me, does better with national teams than he does with clubs[/size] and Athletic is far closer to a NT than Barcelona is, given the makeup of the club. There's also the fact that this year's Athletic is a work in progress. They can only get better if he stays, so he may well see his work as unfinished. And he may see Athletic as a challenge: getting a team of guys chosen from a small region in northern Spain to two cup finals is a pretty impressive achievement.
Tito Nolan, you forgot Tito. For me Bielsa or Tito. Won't complain if it's Lucho either
He might be even more flexible than Pep... Like he played Henry in the middle when we needed a focal point in the middle(against Valencia) after 3 years and it was a master piece.Would certainly not object if Tito is given a chance. He's been part of this project and should continue to be in some form.
The bitter truth about sport is that there will be constant coming and going. That's the pain of being a fan, being loyal to the shirt itself and not to individual personalities. If this is it for Pep I'm definitely shocked, but I understand. If this ends up being some mindgame or something, so be it, don't be surprised when it happens for real.
A lot of you come from the English football tradition where managers tend to stay forever. There's a lot of reasons for that, but it rarely translates to other leagues. Even in the EPL today, the only real example of a manager staying on through the evolution of the game successfully if Ferguson. The imitations such as Wenger have often done more harm than good. Sport is always evolving, especially this game where there is so much happening at once.
Guardiola has a connection to this club like no others. A lifelong fan, a product of a specific type of football that has been the club's identity at least since the 90s, he was the best Catalan representative on a team with built around Spaniards and Basques, and later foreigners, back when fans weren't spoiled with la masia producing half the team. His management career has been unreal so far. But maybe that's why he doesn't to push it. Maybe he's burnt out; we don't know everything. As a Rosell skeptic I suspect there's tension but I don't know anything for certain. Maybe he just feels like he needs to prove himself elsewhere, to show his ideals can transfer to other leagues on teams that don't have the double-benefit of a home produced golden generation and an unlimited budget. It's more respectable than refusing to evolve the way Wenger has.
The thought of what comes next is mostly scary because, who will replace him? I don't blame Lucho for Roma's failings, he's been stubborn but that's been an uphill battle all season and it could have been a lot worse. But is he ready or does he want to prove himself first? Who else is qualified right now who truly understands the club culture? The other members of the dream team have been coaching failures - Koeman, Stotchikov, Bakero. Laudrup hasn't flopped per se but he's proven nothing and is a traitor who should have no part in this club's future.
But this is the reality. Managers come and go, it's a part of the game. Guilt-tripping Pep to stay would be a terrible mistake if this is what he feels is right. Pep's instincts have been mostly right so far, we need to trust him. If he needs a break, feels he can only evolve in a new enviornment, or can't work with the guys above him, then it's for the best.
Fss. Leaving on the back of a poor season? Really? I expected him to give it another shot and put Real Madrid back into their place. That's what winners do. Now that Mourinho has finally built a competitive team he's jumping ship? Really?
And what is all this bollocks about "poor guy must have so much pressure". Fss. He's getting payed more than € 10 million a year to tell 11 men how to chase a ball properly once in a week. Get a perspective of life you 12 year old fucks! I wonder how Ferguson has survived 25 years at one of the biggest clubs in the world or Arsene Wenger after spending 8 years without trophies and the whole world including the own fans jumping on his back constantly. But Guardiola is totally outworn managing a team with a core of Euro and World Cup winners, a 3 times Ballon d'Or winner, the best youth setup in the world at his disposal and the backup of 1.6 million people in Barcelona. Fssssssssss.
I'm fuming right now. Tomorrow he better be announcing that he's staying. The bald fucker.