This has not been an ideal start or FC Barcelona, with Tito Vilanova stepping down among other incidents, We analyses the club’s current predicaments.
The 2013/2014 pre-season has not exactly started in ideal fashion for FC Barcelona. After the very unfortunate and public spat between former legendary player and manager Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova and Thiago Alcantara’s also very controversial move to Guardiola’s new club Bayern Munich, Tito Vilanova has now stepped down from his position as the Barcelona manager due to his on-going health issues; his recovery from cancer is simply incompatible with the responsibilities of being the Barcelona manager – Vilanova will have to leave football altogether and concentrate fully on his recovery. As soon as Vilanova had to leave for an extended period last season, it was feared that this day would come, and now is finally the time for the club to part ways with Vilanova and look for and appoint a new manager – it is not yet clear whether said new manager will be a mere caretaker until Vilanova gets back on his feet or a full time coach, with all sorts of different rumours flying about in the press and social media.
This came only a few days after Pep Guardiola accused Rosell and the Barcelona board of using Vilanova’s illness to defame him, to which Tito fought back saying that his friend Pep hadn’t been by his side when he needed him the most, while recovering from his cancer last year. This attack on the Rosell administration by one of the club’s biggest legends has obviously had its divisive effects on the fanbase, with the ever growing criticism of Rosell becoming even more vehement – with Thiago’s move to Bayern by a sum perceived as paltry not helping matters in any way. The atmosphere at the club is far from the best at the moment, in many ways reminiscent from the time, 17 years ago, when another club legend, Johan Cruyff, stepped down from his managerial position in conflict with president NuAi??es. In other words, it’s far from the ideal time to deal with a matter as delicate as finding a new suitable manager for the club, but it must be done as the new season looms. It remains to be seen if the board will give a chance to someone already inside the club – perhaps paving the way for a Vilanova to return when/if he’s fully healthy and valuing continuity – or a manager from outside who can adapt to the club’s philosophy. With the Super Cup against AtlAi??tico Madrid about a month away, the decision will have to be made as soon as possible.
But while the managerial issue is the #1 priority at the moment, it’s not the only issue at the club at the moment. After Thiago left for Bayern, rumours suggest that Cesc Fabregas might be on his way out as well, with Manchester United as his destination. Before leaving, Tito Vilanova assured the press that Fabregas is not interested in leaving Barcelona and the club have confirmed that they have no interest in selling the 26-year-old midfielder. Losing both Thiago and Fabregas in one transfer window would leave the squad really depleted in midfield, especially considering that Xavi is not getting any younger. A final decision regarding Fabregas might depend on the input of the new manager to come, but in principle he will stay and lead the Barcelona midfield along with Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta this season; brought back from Arsenal in the summer of 2011, Fabregas has been steadily improving his performances in the blaugrana jersey and gaining more and more influence in the team and he might have an even more crucial role to play this season, so the club understandably have no interest in selling him. With Xavi aging and Fabregas at an age where most footballers reach their peak, Cesc is expected to take a more and more central role in the team.
This has not been an ideal start to the new season for the Catalan giants, losing Thiago to one of their probable Champions League rivals, getting involved in a very unfortunate spat between Vilanova and Guardiola and now losing their manager, but there’s still time to turn things around before the new season starts. The priority is obviously finding a new capable manager and perhaps sign an elite defender, with the squad thinner than ever in that area of the pitch with Puyol’s irreversible aging and Abidal’s exit. The last time a legendary manager left the club and had a spat with the president, the club entered a downward spiral that would reach its peak when it finished 6th in La Liga in the beginning of the new millennium. The target now is to not let history repeat itself and not allow these problems to escalate; having players like Messi and Iniesta in their prime helps of course, but it will take more for Barcelona to retain their hegemony in Spain and keep challenging for the Champions League on a yearly basis. The decisions taken within the next month might very well shape up the club’s near future irreversibly.
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