Pep Guardiola To Leave Barca

[Guest]

Oh don't get me wrong, to become a top manager he will need to prove himself at another club. However he still deserves praise as does any manager who wins the honours he did. Pep would suit Arsenal, if not them then Internazionale.

Haha sounds like were in complete agreement then! I don't want to do him a disservice, but nor do I hold him in unparalleled esteem as so many seem to do. If he succeeds elsewhere, then I think we would be talking about one of the best.

[SJC]

Its not rocket science, pass and move. Barcelona have done it for years and honed it into an art form. They and Spain have reaped the benefits but like all things it has its day and Chelsea showed the rest of the football world how to nullify it successfully.

Gaurdiola would have realised that in the same way that he would have realised that they have no Plan B.

Nullify it successfully!?

What utter rubbish.

Barca were the better team in both legs, especially dominant at Stamford Bridge, and would have won the 2nd leg (and progressed in the tie) if Messi had scored pen.

Torres would never have scored if that was a game in isolation and Barca would have cruised to victory. Again, in first leg, it was only their profligacy in front of goal which gave Chelsea the win.

They've won La Liga for the past three years and are still, by a distance, the best domestic team in the world. And no, them not being in the Champions League final or topping their respective league doesn't prove otherwise.

Guardiola has created and honed an iconic team which will be remembered for a generation.

The fact that people are crowing of their demise after two defeats in three games, two of which they totally controlled, tells you everything about the standard they have set and pedestal they have put themselves on and nothing of their {speculated} demise.

[Portland Bill]

Sorry Bill but unless you are basing this on two games then this is simply not true. Barcelona do play an awful lot of their football in around the half way line shifting the ball from side to side in neat 5-10 yard passes. When they do get in the final third they can be devastating, but I'm afraid you are completely wrong on this. For example, against Arsenal last year, they completed over 700 passes in the game, nearly 300 of those were in their own half, sure enough against a defensive Chelsea side they had the majority of the ball in Chelsea's half, but that was very much a one off game for them, most teams they play do try and get at them.

Plus you keep banging on about the Europa League and the Spanish dominance, nobody in the English game cares about it, nobody.

No I'm not basing it in two games,but you seem to base it on one. For the last 3-4 years they have played football that most people ( including most other players and managers) can only dream about.

As for your comments on the Europa league, well they sound so "little Englander".

It's the 2nd biggest club competition in the world

but you dismiss it because English clubs weren't good enough to get to the later stages.

I bet every Prem club except Chelsea would love to be in the final ;-)

[And Its Smith]

Robbored, you surprise me. I normally agree with a lot of your points or at least see where you are coming from. I must say though that I disagree with everything you say on here.

Barcelona would walk the Premier League as they proved when strolling past United to win the Champions League last season. The Chelsea games were blips, that is all.

Their passing, control and movement is a joy to watch.

[redcork]

to the gate to assist del?

[TRL]

Robbored, you surprise me. I normally agree with a lot of your points or at least see where you are coming from. I must say though that I disagree with everything you say on here.

Barcelona would walk the Premier League as they proved when strolling past United to win the Champions League last season. The Chelsea games were blips, that is all.

Their passing, control and movement is a joy to watch.

Not sure about that, for instance, it is very different playing 38 low tempo games to all of a sudden come in and start playing 38 high tempo games, add to that they also get a short winter break in Spain. Also they could not dominate the TV revenu with just 1 othetr club, so it would be intersting to see if theri financial clout alos dropped slightly. Lets see how they would do in the rigours of the English Premier League.

Thats not to say they cannot wipe the floor with any given Premier League team on any given day, I just do not theink they would come in and Walk the prem. In all honesty, coming in from where they are at the moment, into the harsh reality of the Premier League, with the pace power no winter break colder conditions etc etc, I honestly think they may not even make the top 4.

Give them a few years however..... then I may agree with you.

[CiderHider]

5 semi-finals in the Champions League with 2 ending up as champions. What makes it better is the majority of their team is from their youth academy.

In recent years they have dominated every competition they've played in.

Successful in a weak league though, they are geared for Cup competitions, they could never withstand the pace of a Premier League season, or even the Championship. I don't have anything against the players.

Thatchers or cocaine?

There's 2 Euro league semis on tv at the moment Mr Wong, 3 Spanish sides playing, turn your tv on and then tell us it's boring football your watching!!

Better than anything you will see in this country.

Just Lapsang :tounge: but seriously, .. geared for Cup competitions, and I can't deny that was is effective, attractive? that's a matter of opinion, but for me I like my football played how its was intended to be played, not cocking about trying to impress with silly tricks.

Its not better than anything you'll see in England, China and Asia for instance don't give a rats ass about La Liga really, its only English football. Same goes for rest of the world,apart from South American maybe.

[Robbored]

Robbored, you surprise me. I normally agree with a lot of your points or at least see where you are coming from. I must say though that I disagree with everything you say on here.

Barcelona would walk the Premier League as they proved when strolling past United to win the Champions League last season. The Chelsea games were blips, that is all.

Their passing, control and movement is a joy to watch.

It is when played at the right tempo but as we saw against Chelsea its pretty one dimensioal and boring when up against a packed defence.

As for Barca winning the PL. I don't think they would because of the intensity and high tempo every week. The PL is also far more physical and intense and I don't think they'd cope with demanding opposition game after game. Theres very little respite or 'easy games'.

Barca don't have a large squad either. They couldn't rotate players after the first leg at Chelseas becauseI of the El Classico. ts pretty much the same core players every game and the demands of the PL would be too great for them.

[Brizzle Jordan]

Quite a scene at Barcelona. Pep just gave his speech on why he was leaving, resulting in all the players and media people applauding him. Not often you see that.

It just shows the band between manager and players that they were all sat in the press room listening to Pep and looked like breaking down in tears.

[Brizzle Jordan]

Tito Vilanova is the new Barca coach, succeeding Pep.

Tito was his assistant.

[Super]

Tito Vilanova is the new Barca coach, succeeding Pep.

Tito was his assistant.

Guardiola to come back after a season off then?!

[Brizzle Jordan]

Guardiola to come back after a season off then?!

Wouldn't rule it out. Unlikely though.

[The Bard]

Not sure about that, for instance, it is very different playing 38 low tempo games to all of a sudden come in and start playing 38 high tempo games, add to that they also get a short winter break in Spain. Also they could not dominate the TV revenu with just 1 othetr club, so it would be intersting to see if theri financial clout alos dropped slightly. Lets see how they would do in the rigours of the English Premier League.

Thats not to say they cannot wipe the floor with any given Premier League team on any given day, I just do not theink they would come in and Walk the prem. In all honesty, coming in from where they are at the moment, into the harsh reality of the Premier League, with the pace power no winter break colder conditions etc etc, I honestly think they may not even make the top 4.

Give them a few years however..... then I may agree with you.

Do you really mean that? The only issue they would have would be dealing with Stoke style football. You really have swallowed the EPL hype haven't you? it's not as good as is made out. Not the best league by some way. Maybe the most entertaining but that is due to rubbish defending and the impulse to run around like headless chickens.

Athletic Bilbao took Manure to the cleaners - the 7th best team in Spain destroying our best. Can you seriously see Everton doing that to Barca or Real Madrid?

[TRL]

Do you really mean that? The only issue they would have would be dealing with Stoke style football. You really have swallowed the EPL hype haven't you? it's not as good as is made out. Not the best league by some way. Maybe the most entertaining but that is due to rubbish defending and the impulse to run around like headless chickens.

Athletic Bilbao took Manure to the cleaners - the 7th best team in Spain destroying our best. Can you seriously see Everton doing that to Barca or Real Madrid?

if you ever read any of my historical posts, you would know exactly what I think of the epl, so you couldn't be further from the truth.

But yes, I honestly believe they would struggle, for the first year, after that, maybe not. But you could not just drop them in the prem right now and expect them to dominate.

Reffing different, climate different, style and intensity different, ground different, no winter break., different language, different lifestyle. I could go on and on.

[Murraysrightplum]

Shame we just filled the kitman role...

[Ian M]

Look for Manchester United coming strong in Europe in a year or two's time. Every fee years Ferguson has broken apart a great team and bought young to make the next winning team. It is my belief that he started this process last Summer (& will continue this summer based on who they are said to be looking at) to culminate in one final CL triumph before he retires. That they can still win the league this season says a lot about the weakness of the PL at the moment.

[One Team In Keynsham]

Look it's simple. They're a top european side, and so they should be given the financial muscle, history and support they have. They will continue to be. Changing managers isn't a big deal, top clubs do it all the time. For continental clubs it's far less of an issue than in England because the players are used to it and they mostly use a DoF model.

They haven't dominated Europe, nobody has since Real in the late fifties. They aren't going to suffer a demise either (you say this on one hand then agree they'll either win their league or be runners up and finish in the latter stages of the ECL on the other - it's a contradiction).

Being touted as the best team ever (by people with a vested interest in increasing the media frenzy around football!) is obviously hype. Best in the last 15-20 years? Maybe but not by much. Sides like Man U, Milan, Real and Barca themselves have all had some exceptional teams in that time that have achieved as much if not more.

I just don't see the need to overstate everything.

Ajax 3 successive EC wins in the 70s, Bayern the same, Liverpool 4 in 8 years and might have been 5 in 9 if not for Hysel? Certainly no one has matched Real's 5 in a row, but to say no team has dominated is stretching it a little. I would agree that since Milan's back to back wins in 89/90 no one team has ruled the roost.

One incredible stat from Pep's reign is that if Barcelona win the Copa del Rey, he would have won 14 of the 18 competitions he entered as manager.

[Brizzle Jordan]

Interesting Guardiola stats:

Barcelona have gained a reputation as a free-flowing, attacking side under Guardiola. This season they have scored 170 goals in all competitions.

The Catalan has won 76.4% of his league games while in charge at the Nou Camp, compared to predecessor Frank Rijkaard's record of 58.9%.

The former central midfielder took charge of 15 "El Clasicos" against rivals Real Madrid as Barcelona manager, winning nine of them.

Barcelona have scored 363 points in 148 league games under the 41-year-old, nine more than Real Madrid (354) and over 100 more than any other side.

Of all the clubs Guardiola has faced in all competitions as Barca manager, he has only failed to register a single victory against one club - Chelsea - failing to beat them in four attempts.

[Portland Bill]

It is when played at the right tempo but as we saw against Chelsea its pretty one dimensioal and boring when up against a packed defence.

As for Barca winning the PL. I don't think they would because of the intensity and high tempo every week. The PL is also far more physical and intense and I don't think they'd cope with demanding opposition game after game. Theres very little respite or 'easy games'.

Barca don't have a large squad either. They couldn't rotate players after the first leg at Chelseas becauseI of the El Classico. ts pretty much the same core players every game and the demands of the PL would be too great for them.

Haha! I really thought your first couple of posts were a wind up, but now I realise you were being serious!! Oh dear!

Fabrigas,Silva,YaYa Tori,Aguero,Mata and countless others have really struggled in the EPL haven't they ;-).

The cold and rain does not effect how good your skill,technique,first touch etc etc, it's how good a player you are that makes the difference.

Would Alex Ferguson swap his team for the Barca team? You bet your life he would.

Following your theory, I'm surprised every Prem team isn't packed full of Danes,Swedes,Germans and the like, after all,there all big and strong but the Spanish and South Americans are all little wimps who can't stand the cold!!

Actually im amazed that Devon White and Bas

Savage didn't make it in the Prem, weren't they physical and intense.

As I said, I thought you were on a wind up, now I realise you just haven't a clue

[TRL]

Haha! I really thought your first couple of posts were a wind up, but now I realise you were being serious!! Oh dear!

Fabrigas,Silva,YaYa Tori,Aguero,Mata and countless others have really struggled in the EPL haven't they ;-).

The cold and rain does not effect how good your skill,technique,first touch etc etc, it's how good a player you are that makes the difference.

Would Alex Ferguson swap his team for the Barca team? You bet your life he would.

Following your theory, I'm surprised every Prem team isn't packed full of Danes,Swedes,Germans and the like, after all,there all big and strong but the Spanish and South Americans are all little wimps who can't stand the cold!!

Actually im amazed that Devon White and Bas

Savage didn't make it in the Prem, weren't they physical and intense.

As I said, I thought you were on a wind up, now I realise you just haven't a clue

Strange argument, Yes all successful to a certain point. but mixed in with English, Scots Welsh and players Who have been here a while to get used to the game. But a whole team , with no experience playing here, I'm afraid that would take A good few months or maybe a year or longer to get used to.

All completely hypothetical anyway, so not sure why you have knickers in a twist because some people have a different opinion. Truth is none of us realy know what would happen if you lifted and shifted barca over here. Although I think there are things in place to ensure players have trained in this country for a certain amount of time, So they would have to sign a whole load of new players to play over here anyway, severely weakening the Barca team and ethos.

So no point in name calling or belittling over a hypothetical idea.

[Portland Bill]

Strange argument, Yes all successful to a certain point. but mixed in with English, Scots Welsh and players Who have been here a while to get used to the game. But a whole team , with no experience playing here, I'm afraid that would take A good few months or maybe a year or longer to get used to.

All completely hypothetical anyway, so not sure why you have knickers in a twist because some people have a different opinion. Truth is none of us realy know what would happen if you lifted and shifted barca over here. Although I think there are things in place to ensure players have trained in this country for a certain amount of time, So they would have to sign a whole load of new players to play over here anyway, severely weakening the Barca team and ethos.

So no point in name calling or belittling over a hypothetical idea.

Name calling? knickers in a twist? No ;-)

It's Robbered I was replying to,the biggest wind up merchant on the forum.

Did you not notice a little wink at the end fella.

Chill

[TRL]

Name calling? knickers in a twist? No ;-)

It's Robbered I was replying to,the biggest wind up merchant on the forum.

Did you not notice a little wink at the end fella.

Chill

Pill dully taken

[Portland Bill]

Pill dully taken

[Robbored]

Haha! I really thought your first couple of posts were a wind up, but now I realise you were being serious!! Oh dear!

Fabrigas,Silva,YaYa Tori,Aguero,Mata and countless others have really struggled in the EPL haven't they ;-).

The cold and rain does not effect how good your skill,technique,first touch etc etc, it's how good a player you are that makes the difference.

Would Alex Ferguson swap his team for the Barca team? You bet your life he would.

As I said, I thought you were on a wind up, now I realise you just haven't a clue

Individual players such as Fabregas and Yaya Toure cope well enough in the PL because they were in the minority and were able to adapt to the hurly burly of the PL. In fact Fabregas played 8 seasons at Arsenal.

My point is that despite all the slick passing they simply wouldn't get the time in PL. They can't defend either. Imagine cross after cross from all angles into the Barca box. They would concede too many goals. Do you think they'd cope with teams like Stoke week after week?

Playing and beating English teams occaisionally is not evidence that they could cope with PL football week after week.

[Brizzle Jordan]

Individual players such as Fabregas and Yaya Toure cope well enough in the PL because they were in the minority and were able to adapt to the hurly burly of the PL. In fact Fabregas played 8 seasons at Arsenal.

My point is that despite all the slick passing they simply wouldn't get the time in PL. They can't defend either. Imagine cross after cross from all angles into the Barca box. They would concede too many goals. Do you think they'd cope with teams like Stoke week after week?

Playing and beating English teams occaisionally is not evidence that they could cope with PL football week after week.

Barcelona vs Stoke = Stoke wouldn't get a touch.

[TRL]

Barcelona vs Stoke = Stoke wouldn't get a touch.

What about if it was in the middle of winter, Stokes ground muddy, soaking wet holding up the ball so you can't pass it so well along the ground. Stoke go for hoof ball to take out the fact that the ball keeps getting stuck on a sticky pitch

What happens then? Still Barcelona's Game to win, or Stokes? It is all to easy to say Barcelona will smack people, people to often forget some basics which happen in a nasty British wet windy winter.

[Brizzle Jordan]

What about if it was in the middle of winter, Stokes ground muddy, soaking wet holding up the ball so you can't pass it so well along the ground. Stoke go for hoof ball to take out the fact that the ball keeps getting stuck on a sticky pitch

What happens then? Still Barcelona's Game to win, or Stokes? It is all to easy to say Barcelona will smack people, people to often forget some basics which happen in a nasty British wet windy winter.

Still think they would beat Stoke.

[Robbored]

What about if it was in the middle of winter, Stokes ground muddy, soaking wet holding up the ball so you can't pass it so well along the ground. Stoke go for hoof ball to take out the fact that the ball keeps getting stuck on a sticky pitch

What happens then? Still Barcelona's Game to win, or Stokes? It is all to easy to say Barcelona will smack people, people to often forget some basics which happen in a nasty British wet windy winter.

Some Barcelona converts think that their style is way above every other style of football. So one eyed are they that they simply don't consider all the variables that football throws up. Chelsea and Real Madrid showed that there is more than one way to nullify the slick pass and move style and if Barca played in PL they wouldn't cope, certainly not until they adapted their game.

[Judge Roughneck]

Do you think they'd cope with teams like Stoke week after week?

Despite the stiff competition, this is the most idiotic thing you have posted on this forum.

99 times out of a hundred stoke would be 3-0 down with 2 men sent off before they knew what had hit them.

You are reading too much into a situation where Chelseas got lucky by scoring 3 goals in added time and defended better than they have been able to for a couple of seasons. The fact that Messi has had 3 years football without a break at all and looks totally knackered was a bigger factor than Barcelona not liking it up 'em.

It's attitudes like yours that are holding the game back in this country, believing that a bit of huff and puff is what is required because it works once every 10 years.

[TRL]

Still think they would beat Stoke.

I wouldn't be so sure, they have proved they are one dimensional, if they can't get the ball to move, if they can't harrass so quickly because of heavy pitch, things change.

It to simple just to say barca will win cos they are great. Barca are good because they get to play most of the time at their tempo, in good conditions. Start throwing curve balls at them and you will see how good they are. You need to have more than one style of play in the UK to deal with our 4 seasons in one day climate.

Barca had a lot of injuries this season, and have failed to win the league, i think the physical nature of the Premier League they would have even more. I think you would see a Barcelona team having to take up very different tactics if they were to play in England