Guardiola fidgets on Catalan throne
Source: Agencies |
May 30, 2011, Monday
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AFTER Barcelona's dazzling Champions League triumph over Manchester United, manager Pep Guardiola should be contemplating how to extend his club's European hegemony, yet his future remains uncertain.
The 40-year-old has only been in charge for three seasons but such is the mental strain of being at the helm of an institution that is so much more than a football club, that he is contemplating walking away after one more year at the helm.
Indeed, after Saturday's 3-1 Wembley defeat it was United's evergreen 69-year-old year old boss Alex Ferguson, in charge for 25 years, who was already planning how to build a team to challenge the Spaniards for top European billing.
Guardiola is steeped in Barcelona history and never misses an opportunity to remind people that he is a "mere cog in the machine".
He was a player in the team that won their first European Cup at the old Wembley in 1992 and has now guided them to their third and fourth triumphs, both coming with final victories over United.
As dignified in victory as in his rare defeats, he was all modesty again after goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa swept United aside in one of the all-time great final performances.
"I feel privileged to have these players, I don't feel like the boss of them," he said after Saturday's triumph. "So many people have worked so hard to achieve this and I congratulate everyone. I'm so happy to be here as a coach of these guys. I intend to continue one more year and we'll see."
It might seem extraordinary that such a young, fresh and wildly successful manager could consider walking away from one of the greatest teams ever to play the game, when the prospect of hauling the club closer to Real Madrid's daunting tally of nine European Cups is right there in front of him.
Yet Guardiola has often spoken of the emotional toll taken on the man tasked with leading a team who symbolize the whole notion of a separate Catalan nation.
Guardiola has now won 10 titles in his three years in charge of the club he served as a player for 17 years. The Spaniard inherited the bulk of his squad from predecessor Frank Rijkaard, who led the club to its first European Cup for 14 years in 2006.
The 40-year-old has only been in charge for three seasons but such is the mental strain of being at the helm of an institution that is so much more than a football club, that he is contemplating walking away after one more year at the helm.
Indeed, after Saturday's 3-1 Wembley defeat it was United's evergreen 69-year-old year old boss Alex Ferguson, in charge for 25 years, who was already planning how to build a team to challenge the Spaniards for top European billing.
Guardiola is steeped in Barcelona history and never misses an opportunity to remind people that he is a "mere cog in the machine".
He was a player in the team that won their first European Cup at the old Wembley in 1992 and has now guided them to their third and fourth triumphs, both coming with final victories over United.
As dignified in victory as in his rare defeats, he was all modesty again after goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa swept United aside in one of the all-time great final performances.
"I feel privileged to have these players, I don't feel like the boss of them," he said after Saturday's triumph. "So many people have worked so hard to achieve this and I congratulate everyone. I'm so happy to be here as a coach of these guys. I intend to continue one more year and we'll see."
It might seem extraordinary that such a young, fresh and wildly successful manager could consider walking away from one of the greatest teams ever to play the game, when the prospect of hauling the club closer to Real Madrid's daunting tally of nine European Cups is right there in front of him.
Yet Guardiola has often spoken of the emotional toll taken on the man tasked with leading a team who symbolize the whole notion of a separate Catalan nation.
Guardiola has now won 10 titles in his three years in charge of the club he served as a player for 17 years. The Spaniard inherited the bulk of his squad from predecessor Frank Rijkaard, who led the club to its first European Cup for 14 years in 2006.
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