BBZ8800
Senior Member
Marca posted pros and cons of every candidate:
1. Valverde:
+ Pro: Having coached the most matches in Athletic Club's history, Valverde - who MARCA has considered as the favourite for several months - has plenty of experience of the Spanish league, has international knowledge from his time at Olympiakos and, having played at the Camp Nou at the end of the 1980s, he knows how what it's like to work at the club and his style of play also suits, with it based on possession and pressure.
- Con: He has never taken charge of a dressing room with as many stars as Barcelona.
2. Sampaoli:
+ His way of playing and his maturity as a coach make Sampaoli an exciting prospect, while players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Javier Mascherano would be thrilled to play under the man who has hit the ground running in Europe after two decades of coaching in South America.
- He doesn't have experience of Barcelona, something his countryman Gerardo Martino found difficult to pick up, while he has a contract with Sevilla until 2018 and they would not be keen to let him walk out the door.
3. Unzue:
+ Pro: This is the option who offers continuity and would resemble Tito Vilanova's replacing of Pep Guardiola, with Unzue already boasting a good relationship with the squad and having taken some tactical responsibilities under Luis Enrique.
- Con: His only experience as a head coach was his one season with Numancia, with whom he finished 10th in the second division.
4. Blanc:
+ The former France and Paris Saint-Germain is available and also benefits by having experience of managing world-class players, while he briefly played at Barcelona and would not be a complete Camp Nou rookie.
- He has never coached outside of France and he is better known as a squad manager, rather than a tactical footballing student.
5. Koeman:
+ Koeman is certainly a 'Barcelona man', having scored the winning goal in their 1992 European Cup success, while he is proving to be a successful coach in the Premier League, first with Southampton and now with Everton.
- He has only just arrived at Everton and has a contract at Goodison Park which would have to be broken, while his only Spanish experience was hot and cold, winning the Copa del Rey with Valencia at the same time as relegation was a threat.
6. Eusebio:
+ He too was a member of the 'Dream Team' and has coached Barcelona B, before turning around Real Sociedad's fortunes following David Moyes' sacking.
- Although it should go in his favour that he has Barcelona B on his CV, the fact he was sacked from the role by Josep Maria Bartomeu does not bode well for his chances of receiving the first team job, while he appears committed to La Real after signing a new contract.
7. Oscar Garcia:
+ The Red Bull Salzburg coach and ex-Barcelona player is a defender of possession-based positional play and the 43-year-old - the youngest candidate on the list - applied those methods as a Blaugrana youth coach, while he has won leagues with the Austrian outfit and with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- He lacks experience in a top European league.
8. Frank De Boer:
+ He is currently without a team, while the style of play and willingness to promote youth that he showed at Ajax would encourage the Barcelona hierarchy.
- His time with Inter didn't go to plan, where he was unable to instil his preferred style of play.
9. Cocu:
+ De Boer's coaching rival Cocu has led PSV Eindhoven to success in Holland and in the Champions League, where the team was close to eliminating Atletico Madrid.
- He lacks experience of star-studded dressing rooms, lacks experience outside of the Eredivisie and has a contract until 2019.
10. Berizzo:
+ Berizzo is a candidate to follow in Luis Enrique's footsteps by swapping Balaidos for the Camp Nou, having turned Celta Vigo into one of LaLiga's most successful and exciting attacking units, while his contract also runs out this summer.
- He has no experience of Barcelona as an institution, while he also lacks experience in dealing with big name players.
1. Valverde:
+ Pro: Having coached the most matches in Athletic Club's history, Valverde - who MARCA has considered as the favourite for several months - has plenty of experience of the Spanish league, has international knowledge from his time at Olympiakos and, having played at the Camp Nou at the end of the 1980s, he knows how what it's like to work at the club and his style of play also suits, with it based on possession and pressure.
- Con: He has never taken charge of a dressing room with as many stars as Barcelona.
2. Sampaoli:
+ His way of playing and his maturity as a coach make Sampaoli an exciting prospect, while players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Javier Mascherano would be thrilled to play under the man who has hit the ground running in Europe after two decades of coaching in South America.
- He doesn't have experience of Barcelona, something his countryman Gerardo Martino found difficult to pick up, while he has a contract with Sevilla until 2018 and they would not be keen to let him walk out the door.
3. Unzue:
+ Pro: This is the option who offers continuity and would resemble Tito Vilanova's replacing of Pep Guardiola, with Unzue already boasting a good relationship with the squad and having taken some tactical responsibilities under Luis Enrique.
- Con: His only experience as a head coach was his one season with Numancia, with whom he finished 10th in the second division.
4. Blanc:
+ The former France and Paris Saint-Germain is available and also benefits by having experience of managing world-class players, while he briefly played at Barcelona and would not be a complete Camp Nou rookie.
- He has never coached outside of France and he is better known as a squad manager, rather than a tactical footballing student.
5. Koeman:
+ Koeman is certainly a 'Barcelona man', having scored the winning goal in their 1992 European Cup success, while he is proving to be a successful coach in the Premier League, first with Southampton and now with Everton.
- He has only just arrived at Everton and has a contract at Goodison Park which would have to be broken, while his only Spanish experience was hot and cold, winning the Copa del Rey with Valencia at the same time as relegation was a threat.
6. Eusebio:
+ He too was a member of the 'Dream Team' and has coached Barcelona B, before turning around Real Sociedad's fortunes following David Moyes' sacking.
- Although it should go in his favour that he has Barcelona B on his CV, the fact he was sacked from the role by Josep Maria Bartomeu does not bode well for his chances of receiving the first team job, while he appears committed to La Real after signing a new contract.
7. Oscar Garcia:
+ The Red Bull Salzburg coach and ex-Barcelona player is a defender of possession-based positional play and the 43-year-old - the youngest candidate on the list - applied those methods as a Blaugrana youth coach, while he has won leagues with the Austrian outfit and with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- He lacks experience in a top European league.
8. Frank De Boer:
+ He is currently without a team, while the style of play and willingness to promote youth that he showed at Ajax would encourage the Barcelona hierarchy.
- His time with Inter didn't go to plan, where he was unable to instil his preferred style of play.
9. Cocu:
+ De Boer's coaching rival Cocu has led PSV Eindhoven to success in Holland and in the Champions League, where the team was close to eliminating Atletico Madrid.
- He lacks experience of star-studded dressing rooms, lacks experience outside of the Eredivisie and has a contract until 2019.
10. Berizzo:
+ Berizzo is a candidate to follow in Luis Enrique's footsteps by swapping Balaidos for the Camp Nou, having turned Celta Vigo into one of LaLiga's most successful and exciting attacking units, while his contract also runs out this summer.
- He has no experience of Barcelona as an institution, while he also lacks experience in dealing with big name players.
