04/23/24
April 27, 2012
Pep Guardiola to end reign as Barcelona coach in summer: Guardiola is the most successful coach in Barca history, with three league titles, two Champions Leagues and a Copa del Rey among his haul--plus the chance to win a fourth in a few weeks--and will be succeeded by current assistant Tito Vilanova. "The reason is simple: four years is enough," said Guardiola.
posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 11:52 AM - 4 comments
The end of an amazing story and possibly the beginning of a fascinating new one:
Will he take a year off before heading back to football? Who will lure him out of "retirement" and for how much? Which owner would he be willing to work with and in which country? How would he do without the likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, etal? Can Pep truly come up with a "non-Barcelona" way of tactics and management if he doesn't have the types of players who can play that way? He never needed a Plan B before because Plan A was so good. Sir Alex has successfully rebuilt ManU on numerous occasions - is Pep capable of that kind of managment (though he did successfully preside over some changes involving Ronaldinho, Ibra, Eto'o, and a few others).
posted by sbacharach at 12:50 PM on April 27, 2012
I think Pep will definitely sit out a year. He surely deserves it, and it seems he has been worn down by the grind of the job. Sorry to see that he will not go out as a league champion or European champion, but I believe they have won two trophies already this year and have a shot at a third, an his record is beyond reproach (3 straight league titles and really just a bit of
Would be very interesting to see Pep take over at United when Fergie is done. However, if Guardiola's mindset is four years and out (although it should be noted that he was coach of Barca B for a year or two before that. so this has been more like a 5 or 6 year project), I wonder whether a club like United, which has had one manager for the last 25+ years, would be interested in bringing in someone with a fairly short-term outlook. I think Pep in England in general (at whatever club) would be an interesting experiment.
posted by holden at 01:41 PM on April 27, 2012
Good time to get out. An aging team one season past their best.
Can Pep truly come up with a "non-Barcelona" way of tactics and management if he doesn't have the types of players who can play that way?
Interesting point, although you can find them easily enough, and they might be the kind of player undervalued by other clubs. I cite Brendan Rodgers at Swansea as my empirical evidence.
posted by owlhouse at 11:36 PM on April 27, 2012
Honestly I cannot imagine the pressure of that position but if I ever to were to raise a digital lighter to anyone in football leaving, it would go up for Pep.