“We’re going to have to make some decisions,” said Gerard Pique, after finishing the game to a reporter from ‘Canal Plus’. Piqué said it without blinking an eyelid as if he had been meditating on his words for a while now. It’s the exact same conclusion that was reached by Pep Guardiola in his day, when he opted to end his reign at FC Barcelona and its players that gave everything to the Catalan club.
Ex Barca coach Pep Guardiola left because he saw into the future and glimpsed that what happened against Bayern Munich was going to happen to the club sooner or later. It would have been either to the Germans or against a lesser opponent such as Paris Saint-Germain. Guardiola seemed to have that certainty about his beloved Barcelona as long as the team was not given a much needed overhaul.
It was an overhaul that was long overdue because Barca faithfuls such as Carles Puyol (35) and Xavi Hernandez (33), both under contract until 2016, accepted a secondary role. Also, the failure to recognize the transfer errors of Cesc Fabregás and Alexis Sánchez, and limiting the power of Leo Messi at the club.
These are signs that have confirmed the decline of Barca in Europe and which against Guardiola had no strength to face and handle. Now it is the turn of Tito Vilanova, if he has the force and the will power to continue and take some of the decisions that his predecessor left open and start to make his mark. At the moment, Vilanova does not count on the support from the majority of Barca’s fans and from the inside, there are many who believe that the club has survived this season merely on the inertia of the legacy and the fabulous team that Pep Guardiola left behind him.
Pep started the destruction of barca by replacing most of the good players left by rijkaard with his own costly and ineffective players. When he noticed the downturn, he was not bold to remain and turn the team arround, he decided to run away with the flimsy & untennable excuse that he needs to recharge his low battery. What a stupid alibi.
Barca’s ability to fight the inevitable has caused all this embarasment
They knew that age had caught up with puyol and injuries would now consistently leave him on the sidelines but still they made him a first choice defender instead of handing him a retirement package and replace him with a quality defender to partner pique
They still made the same mistake on xavi, he is old and is no longer attacking minded , he slows the attack of the team inorder to amplyfy his passess, fabregas was brought in to replace him, even thiago has been dubbed as xavi’s replacement but still their not given game time in that role
Its xavi who is supposedto be play less time coming here and there
If fab can not be used in big games why was he bought, Song has been good and we will know he can compete with busqts for that position but is not used
Villanova should have tried to make other players famous undr him, players lik song, fab , thiago, tello
guardiola made xavi , iniesta , busy, pedro, messi, alves famous and they have won it all
So why cant nova use players at barca that wants to directly contribute to the success of the team and mix them with those who already hav say six five ratio
Song , fab , thiago , some new signings that would want to play a major role in leading the team to glory
nova must create his own famous midfield and attack force led by messi
We should get to big matches where we have song , fab , thiago playing against madrid in classico and on the bench xavi , busy and iniesta will be sitted ready to come on as subs imagine how real would feel
It wil also be a sign of depthness
barca should get hummels , gundogan, cisse and make him the new eto
lewandoski would do as well
We need a new midfield partnership thats is quick and precise, xavi is slow , busy is slow as well and thats why we struggle to penetrate defences at times
Only iniesta is quick and attacking minded so now when iniesta is marked chances are not created and upfront messi needs partners who can score consistently
THE EXPENDABLE AVENGER HAS SAID IT
@ solo comment earlier, guardiola might turn away from Barcelona but he still achieved miracles in his 4 years. which coach has won 14 titles out 19 in 4 years? Even Mourinho ran away from inter when he saw their squad was crumbling.