Guardiola to be found out in the premier league

[Brisan123]

Too late. Txiki, Soriano & Pep - a trinity of key sporting & financial heads of Barca. Academy, from ground up built in mind of La Masia v2.0

They are indeed Barca-lite but it is temporal because while the infrastructure can be perfect, you still have to have the history, allure & culture/location that will attract. Not sure Greater Manchester will ever have that over Barcelona

Aguero on a free and 5m net annual wages, name a more prolific/dangerous scoring forward as a backup in world football that could come cheaper? I'll wait

Desperate? More like genius. Moreover, he is best mates with Leo and they have time to develop their on pitch chemistry ahead of the WC in a manner they have never enjoyed previously

Depay - arriving on a free. Garcia - returning on a free. Bernabe - returning on a free

Koeman was never a good long-term choice but considering the chaos last summer, not sure any other candidate would've been more ideal for that delicate time. Only a club legend could maintain calm during that [Poor language removed] storm. Flash forward 9 months later, NO ONE could've predicted anything other than doom for the club & its future

Now? Future is very bright

Are Garcia and Bernabe not the same player
Depay is good but not top quality
The fact that you are scrambling around for free signings should be a cause for concern not joy
Even that Winnie fella from Liverpool looks to be choosing Bayern over you , another free signing you are scrambling for
Unlike Real who will have either the Spanish Government or the Madrid council pay off their debts Barca will have to pay off their own debts
Once Messi leaves the slippery slope will only become steeper

 

[artetas_biggest_fan]

So the bald fraud wins manager of the year for a massive five point improvement on last season's underwhelming total of 81.

How did Rodgers, Moyes and Bielsa get overlooked for this? Pathetic from the League Managers Association.

I’d have given it to Bielsa personally. Taking a club up and then excelling from the get go is probably the best achievement of the season. I’d put this down as one of Pep’s weakest successes as the only other contender for the league became incapable less than two months in. It was as close to a gimme as he will get. A Solksjaer managed team finishing second is not good. And a bog standard Chelsea side in a CL final, also not good. Was so confident Villa would beat them at the weekend, which compounds Leicester’s failure to beat flaky Spurs. Real and Barca are a sh#tshow at the minute, Juve still nowhere near enough quality, PSG the usual problem of being individuals not a team: none of the four won their domestic title. Only Bayern could really be considered top class but without Lewandowski and having won it last year (always hard to defend the CL) they were slightly off it. It cannot be helped of course but CL games played in empty/near empty stadiums is wrong also. This is meant to be the pinnacle of the club game. The home/away advantage/test isn’t there either so every game is neutral, which skews the whole point of the two legged tie. Sooner we get back to full stadiums the better as the CL especially is wrecked without it.

 

[artetas_biggest_fan]

Are Garcia and Bernabe not the same player
Depay is good but not top quality
The fact that you are scrambling around for free signings should be a cause for concern not joy
Even that Winnie fella from Liverpool looks to be choosing Bayern over you , another free signing you are scrambling for
Unlike Real who will have either the Spanish Government or the Madrid council pay off their debts Barca will have to pay off their own debts
Once Messi leaves the slippery slope will only become steeper

Barca will always be a top destination for players. It’s them and Real that top the wish list of every aspiring player who aren’t already affiliated/emotionally attached to another club. Personally I’d rank them #1 ahead of Real as they have that something extra special. Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi...only they could have that conveyor belt of superstars playing for them. Putting on a Barca jersey at the Nou Camp, more kids dream about that than any other. The all white strip of Real is also magical as is the Bernebeu. There’s only a handful of clubs in Europe that would be considered iconic and be appealing to players beyond just wages. Here it’s Man U and the RS that have that draw. The “theatre of dreams”, or Anfield and “YNWA”, the clubs of Busby and Shankly. In Italy it’s AC Milan (the #1 club (ahead of Barca) when I was younger), Inter and Juventus. Germany it’s Bayern. Although nowhere near these teams financially due to the financial constraints of their domestic leagues both Ajax and Celtic has something iconic: the jerseys of both instantly recognisable, the clubs of Cruyff and Jock Stein. Dortmund has the stadium (“yellow wall”) but like Ajax and Celtic the lack of finances means they can’t keep/acquire top players for long.

Barca has something that is priceless so no matter their financial situation they will always be a draw and sit at the top table.

 

[Brisan123]

I’d have given it to Bielsa personally. Taking a club up and then excelling from the get go is probably the best achievement of the season. I’d put this down as one of Pep’s weakest successes as the only other contender for the league became incapable less than two months in. It was as close to a gimme as he will get. A Solksjaer managed team finishing second is not good. And a bog standard Chelsea side in a CL final, also not good. Was so confident Villa would beat them at the weekend, which compounds Leicester’s failure to beat flaky Spurs. Real and Barca are a sh#tshow at the minute, Juve still nowhere near enough quality, PSG the usual problem of being individuals not a team: none of the four won their domestic title. Only Bayern could really be considered top class but without Lewandowski and having won it last year (always hard to defend the CL) they were slightly off it. It cannot be helped of course but CL games played in empty/near empty stadiums is wrong also. This is meant to be the pinnacle of the club game. The home/away advantage/test isn’t there either so every game is neutral, which skews the whole point of the two legged tie. Sooner we get back to full stadiums the better as the CL especially is wrecked without it.

Your lot were top at Christmas
They were humiliated by Villa with St Virgil of the slightly sore knee playing
You ran out of juice literally and the inhalers stopped working
Pep has the chance to win the League the League cup and the CL in one season
Something Klipoety could only dream about

 

[PaulPowersTash]

I’d have given it to Bielsa personally. Taking a club up and then excelling from the get go is probably the best achievement of the season. I’d put this down as one of Pep’s weakest successes as the only other contender for the league became incapable less than two months in. It was as close to a gimme as he will get. A Solksjaer managed team finishing second is not good. And a bog standard Chelsea side in a CL final, also not good. Was so confident Villa would beat them at the weekend, which compounds Leicester’s failure to beat flaky Spurs. Real and Barca are a sh#tshow at the minute, Juve still nowhere near enough quality, PSG the usual problem of being individuals not a team: none of the four won their domestic title. Only Bayern could really be considered top class but without Lewandowski and having won it last year (always hard to defend the CL) they were slightly off it. It cannot be helped of course but CL games played in empty/near empty stadiums is wrong also. This is meant to be the pinnacle of the club game. The home/away advantage/test isn’t there either so every game is neutral, which skews the whole point of the two legged tie. Sooner we get back to full stadiums the better as the CL especially is wrecked without it.

City were 14th in November at one stage and your lot way out in front at Christmas.
If that's a gimme for Pep then he is truly a genius!

 

[FCBarça]

Are Garcia and Bernabe not the same player
Depay is good but not top quality
The fact that you are scrambling around for free signings should be a cause for concern not joy
Even that Winnie fella from Liverpool looks to be choosing Bayern over you , another free signing you are scrambling for
Unlike Real who will have either the Spanish Government or the Madrid council pay off their debts Barca will have to pay off their own debts
Once Messi leaves the slippery slope will only become steeper

Garcia I was gutted when he left from Juvenil A, Bernabe I was excited about but he is not blaugrana through & through like Eric - Adrian is an attacking midfielder with a remarkable youth career. Point is more about those who left to work at City under Pep, now they return - it's a form of ancillary Masia training by the greatest coach

Free signings that are quality is absolutely joy. Free signings that will never play are a concern - Wijnaldum turned down both PSG & Bayern, coming to Barca although I would not describe it as joyful on my side

Barca thrived for a century prior to Leo and will continue to do so even when the Goat retires from European football. You lose the greatest ever, it's only normal you will suffer but everything is intact to continue on the same path founded on the Cruyff principles

Financially, they were miserably mismanaged by Rosell & Bartomeu but being the club that generates the most revenue in the world means you are well positioned to turn it around...and Laporta will, so yes - joy

 

[PaulPowersTash]

Are Garcia and Bernabe not the same player
Depay is good but not top quality
The fact that you are scrambling around for free signings should be a cause for concern not joy
Even that Winnie fella from Liverpool looks to be choosing Bayern over you , another free signing you are scrambling for
Unlike Real who will have either the Spanish Government or the Madrid council pay off their debts Barca will have to pay off their own debts
Once Messi leaves the slippery slope will only become steeper

City fans came up with the phrase 'The Garcia Tax'.
It was due to the fact that virtually every time he played we conceded.
I just really don't get the hype over this guy and I've watched him a lot.
No pace. No positional sense and no real leadership qualities. Bang average.

 

[EverTheOptimist]

I see Pep is saying it's not about money why they are winning trophies and anyone who says otherwise is *expletive* crazy in an interview with Gary Lineker.

Mmmmm then what could it be then Mr Guardiola, i guess he must have always had a soft spot for Man City when they were a Yo-yo club during his playing days, gotta be that.

What a football romantic he is.

 

[PaulPowersTash]

I see Pep is saying it's not about money why they are winning trophies and anyone who says otherwise is *expletive* crazy in an interview with Gary Lineker.

Mmmmm then what could it be then Mr Guardiola, i guess he must have always had a soft spot for Man City when they were a Yo-yo club during his playing days, gotta be that.

What a football romantic he is.

Of course its a bout the money and it always has been regardless of what old romantic picture
of 'jumpers for goal posts' football of the nostalgic past you may have.
But as we all know it's how you spend the money. United have spent almost a £1 billion on players
since Ferguson went and still have not a lot to show for it. Liverpool bought their way to their single
*Asterisks* title with world record transfer fees. As did Chelsea and let's not forget Blackburn either.
Barca, Real Madrid, PSG et.al. Of course it's all about the money.
And just as an interesting side point when Guardiola finished playing at Barca his agent contacted
a number of English clubs and talks opened with City who eventually turned him down.
So maybe he does have a soft spot for City and be an old romantic after all?

 

[stony]

Garcia I was gutted when he left from Juvenil A, Bernabe I was excited about but he is not blaugrana through & through like Eric - Adrian is an attacking midfielder with a remarkable youth career. Point is more about those who left to work at City under Pep, now they return - it's a form of ancillary Masia training by the greatest coach

Free signings that are quality is absolutely joy. Free signings that will never play are a concern - Wijnaldum turned down both PSG & Bayern, coming to Barca although I would not describe it as joyful on my side

Barca thrived for a century prior to Leo and will continue to do so even when the Goat retires from European football. You lose the greatest ever, it's only normal you will suffer but everything is intact to continue on the same path founded on the Cruyff principles

Financially, they were miserably mismanaged by Rosell & Bartomeu but being the club that generates the most revenue in the world means you are well positioned to turn it around...and Laporta will, so yes - joy

Are you the same FCBarca that posts on redcafe ?

 

[EverTheOptimist]

Of course its a bout the money and it always has been regardless of what old romantic picture
of 'jumpers for goal posts' football of the nostalgic past you may have.
But as we all know it's how you spend the money. United have spent almost a £1 billion on players
since Ferguson went and still have not a lot to show for it. Liverpool bought their way to their single
*Asterisks* title with world record transfer fees. As did Chelsea and let's not forget Blackburn either.
Barca, Real Madrid, PSG et.al. Of course it's all about the money.
And just as an interesting side point when Guardiola finished playing at Barca his agent contacted
a number of English clubs and talks opened with City who eventually turned him down.
So maybe he does have a soft spot for City and be an old romantic after all?

He got turned down by about 5-6 clubs in the PL, what club in England was going to take on a player at 35 who had come off a 1 year drug suspension while playing in the slowest League in Europe.

I'd like to see more of that football romanticism from Pep, taking over a club that isn't financially strong who's been in the wilderness for a few years, see what i did lol

I just described City pre 2008 there and not the man city where he spent nearly £811 million (net spend £537 million) as City manager.

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

Let’s put the cards on the table. What he did at Barcelona was exceptional, and is worthy of all the praise.

Since then though all he has done is cherry pick teams and buy his way to success.

Guardiola’s story could have been very different had he not been fortunate enough to have peak Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. May have just been another averagely successful Barca manager.

Nobody talks about Rijkaard in hushed tones!

 

[PaulPowersTash]

He got turned down by about 5-6 clubs in the PL, what club in England was going to take on a player at 35 who had come off a 1 year drug suspension while playing in the slowest League in Europe.

I'd like to see more of that football romanticism from Pep, taking over a club that isn't financially strong who's been in the wilderness for a few years, see what i did lol

I just described City pre 2008 there and not the man city where he spent nearly £811 million (net spend £537 million) as City manager.

It's akin to saying could Messi cut it on a wet Wednesday night at Stoke?

 

[Billy Dean]

Let’s put the cards on the table. What he did at Barcelona was exceptional, and is worthy of all the praise.

Since then though all he has done is cherry pick teams and buy his way to success.

Guardiola’s story could have been very different had he not been fortunate enough to have peak Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. May have just been another averagely successful Barca manager.

Nobody talks about Rijkaard in hushed tones!

*Yawn*

 

[EverTheOptimist]

It's akin to saying could Messi cut it on a wet Wednesday night at Stoke?

Huh?

Are you a Bot?