Pep is
running.
He is trending worldwide right now. Although it is not yet official,
it is already an open secret that the man who took the Johan Cruyff system of
play to another level at FC Barcelona will leave his post as the head coach at
the end of the 2011/2012 season.
His decision
to leave, should he decide to, will definitely not come as a surprise.
Guardiola has refused to extend his contract for more than a year ever since he
was appointed by Joan Laporta as the coach of the team on 8th of May
2008. Reason? A coach should be judged at the end of the season. He always
insisted there was no reason to tie oneself to a clubside for a long time and
then fail to produce desired results on the pitch, resulting to a termination
of the contract. Many found this peculiar at least when compared to his
counterpart on the other side of the capital of Spain, Jose Mourinho.
For me, the
decision to sign for only a year has always been premeditated. It was for
situations like this. Pep Guardiola had a script and he is playing it out right
now.
Here are the
reasons why Guardiola will be leaving FC Barcelona:
1. That Acute back pain:
During his team’s
1-0 win over Valencia on Wednesday 02 March 2011, Pep Guardiola was observed to
be in pain. He was unable to attend the post match briefing as a result. On Thursday,
FC Barcelona announced that he was admitted to a hospital the previous day. He was
diagnosed with herniated disc. Those who were close to him expressed their
doubts. They were sure he would take a sabbatical from the very demanding world
of football as a result of the back pain. It was only a matter of time and that
time is now. The least physical ailment a football coach will pray to suffer
from is an acute back pain. A coach has to sit and stand for the most part of a
match. This acute back pain was a decider. It was the ‘the straw that broke the camel’s
back’.
2. The limits of success:
Between 2008
when he was appointed and 2012, Guardiola led FC Barcelona to an astonishing 13
trophies;
·
Copa del Rey
(1): 2008–09
·
Supercopa de España (3): 2009, 2010, 2011
·
UEFA Champions League (2): 2008–09, 2010–11
·
UEFA Super
Cup (2): 2009, 2011
·
FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011
This
was his greatest undoing. What else was left to win? Where would the motivation
come from? This factor was very crucial when you consider the fact that under
his watch, the team played a monotonous system of football. One way traffic;
toss the opponent around the pitch until they submit. It was only a matter of
time before the routine became boring to Pep. Now, we know it has indeed been
boring.
3.
The
Mou Factor:
After all is
said and done, in the near future, we will all unanimously agree that something
special happened in the world of football in the new millennium, especially
from the mid 2000’s. football has always seen issues of rivalry discussed since
inception. Pele vs Maradona. Zico vs Pele. Etc. the new millennium had us
shouting to the top of our voices, daily, trying to figure out who was the best
between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Jose Murinho and Pep Guardiola. Don’t
ask me where my loyalty lies. This is the fact: Jose Mourinho remains, till
date. Pep Guardiola’s greatest Nemesis. He led his Inter Milan team to the
Champions League winners’ medal at the Santiago Barnebeu after defeating
Guardiola’s Barcelona. That was the trophy that started a chain reaction that
has finally led Guardiola to the end of his sojourn with Barcelona. Mourinho
was appointed as the coach of Real Madrid with a very simple and clear
objective: Unseat Pep and his boys. Has he done it? Yes he has, in my opinion. Real
Madrid won its first trophy under Mourinho after defeating Barcelona at the
Cope del Rey finals. The team is poised to win its first league trophy since
the 2007-2008 season after defeating FC Barcelona at the Cam Nou. Real Madrid
may have suffered more defeats to Barcelona since Mourinho came to Spain, but
there is no doubting the fact that they have done enough to tilt the balance of
success in their favour.
4.
The
abandoned bus at the Camp Nou:
I hear the grounds
men at the Camp Nou are still battling with that Chelsea team bus. Chelsea bus
at the Camp Nou, you may ask? Yes! That same double decker London bus that,
alongside Petr Cech, ensured that Barcelona didn’t score that all important
goal that could have paired them against Bayern Munich at the Champions league
final. I believe, strongly too, that the better team won. Football, as well as
being an attacking game, we must never forget is also a defensive game. Chelsea
played to its strength and got the victory. This loss was definitely the trigger
that got Guardiola asking questions. What did we do wrong? How did we lose this
game? The answers were quite clear, and he saw the hand writing on the wall. We
always knew Guardiola NEVER had a back up plan. The closest he came to a back
up was the 3-4-3 system of play he employed. Yet, this was only a change in
position and not tactics.
There you
have it. Add to this list, I will be glad to see read your opinion.
PS: What
next for Pep Guardiola? Let’s just allow the man to take some deserved rest. We
will bicker about that when the time is right.
