It took a little longer than normal for la liga. While several men have been touted for the chop – notably Marcelo Bielsa and Mauricio Pellegrino – jornada 13 provided one loss too many for RCD Espanyol, and in late November, the managerial axe finally fell for the first time this season. Mauricio Pochettino, who had been the longest-serving coach in la liga after three years at Espanyol, took over in late January 2009 when the Barcelona-based side were third from bottom; his only task was to save them from relegation. But the Argentinean, who had plied his trade for his national side, Espanyol, Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux as a central defender, did more than that, giving … [Read more...] about La Liga: Espanyol’s Pochettino falls on his sword
Pep Guardiola
The Pep Paradox
August 2016: The newly-proclaimed state of Catalonia has separated completely from Spain, whose flags no longer fly anywhere in the city of Barcelona except on the flagstaff of the Spanish Embassy. The sports press is full of news about the recent “friendly” international between the Catalan and Spanish national teams, the first in history, which despite a few ugly incidents outside the stadium passed off without a hitch. A goalless draw was seen by many as a fitting result to symbolise the relations between Spain and the nascent Catalan Republic. And of course the main story for sportswriters, as always, is FC Barcelona – Barça – as they prepare for a new season… playing against Real … [Read more...] about The Pep Paradox
Pep’s legacy
When Pep Guardiola appeared before the press on April 27 to announce his departure as FC Barcelona’s head coach at the end of the season, he said he felt exhausted and “empty.” Four years leading the club had brought a record-breaking haul of trophies and made him perhaps the most respected coach in world football. But, as Guardiola admitted, “Four years at Barcelona is an eternity and I need to recharge.” His achievements during that time are undisputable: two Champions Leagues, three Ligas, and one (possibly two) Copa del Rey titles; the development of a homegrown youth side that provided Guardiola with 22 first-team players; and the employment of a short-passing, hi-tempo attacking … [Read more...] about Pep’s legacy
La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing
Any seasoned FC Barcelona fan knows there comes a time in every season when coach Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal is talked about by the press and mulled over by the man himself, before he signs up for another year. Since taking the helm at the Catalan club in 2008, he has always insisted on signing on for one-year contract extensions at a time in order to keep up his own high standards as well as those of his players. But this year, something feels altogether different. There is a nervousness in the air, other offers are being discussed and his players, who usually go through these same motions annually, seem more unsure about his future than ever before. One look at his record in … [Read more...] about La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing
Cristiano Ronaldo
Barcelona and Real Madrid’s rivalry has been particularly fierce in recent months, due in great part to the tense relationship between the soccer teams’ coaches, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. But an equally fascinating contest has been played out between the two teams’ biggest stars: Leo Messi for Barça and Cristiano Ronaldo for Madrid. Barcelona’s dominance in Spain and Europe in recent years has seen Messi eclipse the Portuguese somewhat, but there is a feeling that Real Madrid, and Ronaldo, could finally be turning the tables. It was Ronaldo’s head that scored the last-gasp goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final in April and under Mourinho he seems to have found a coach who … [Read more...] about Cristiano Ronaldo
Hands up if you find Barça’s beautiful game boring
There was something rather strange about Señor Antonio Lahoz’s half-time whistle at Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián last Saturday. It sounded like a reasonably normal whistle, as whistles go. The short blast, followed by the longer one. Goals: Barcelona 2, Real Sociedad 0. Goalscorers Xavi Hernández and Cesc Fàbregas. Possession: 75 percent to Barcelona. No, everything perfectly in order there. Except it wasn’t. In most football matches, the referee’s half-time whistle precedes a collective expulsion of breath and a moment of calm to reflect on the 45 minutes of play just witnessed. This is so much of the beauty of football, the frenetic nature of this most exalted of pursuits means that … [Read more...] about Hands up if you find Barça’s beautiful game boring
Pep Guardiola
He made his name as a midfield general for FC Barcelona in the 1990s. But Guardiola’s true calling, it seems, is getting the best out of players as their coach. In his first season in top-flight football management, Guardiola led Barça to the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Liga titles - losing his hair in the process. In the two seasons since, he has won a pair of league titles and the European crown again, relegating Real Madrid to also-ran status. Few soccer jobs are as intense or demanding, especially when you throw in the fact that FC Barcelona is a flagship for the restive Catalan nation. As a former Barça player and a Catalan, Guardiola knows this better than anyone, making his … [Read more...] about Pep Guardiola
2011: Grand Slams, Liga intrigue and drugs
Last year was a pretty remarkable one for Spanish sport, doping scandals aside. With the World Cup win in South Africa the obvious pinnacle, there was glory for Spain in football, tennis, swimming and basketball. But what does 2011 hold in store for the country’s athletes and national teams? In tennis, world number one Rafael Nadal has opened his campaign at the Australian Open, seeking to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams. Nadal already ranks seventh in the list of overall Grand Slam winners with nine, is one of three players in the open era to hold a Golden Slam, one of only seven in history to have achieved the career slam and the only player to … [Read more...] about 2011: Grand Slams, Liga intrigue and drugs
Hércules’ Italian job on Barça restores Liga intrigue
While staff at the Spanish Economy Ministry have been telling anyone who will listen for the last few months that “Spain isn’t Greece”, over at the football federation, they’ve had a rather more tricky time of it trying to convince us that “Spain isn’t Scotland”. Scotland in this context means a country with only two teams that ever look remotely like winning the domestic league. And over the last few years, while Real Madrid and Barcelona may not resemble Celtic and Glasgow Rangers in any way on the pitch, each pair of teams seems to enjoy a similarly vice-like duopoly on the silverware. So it was refreshing to see league champion and European powerhouse Barcelona humbled 2-0 by newly … [Read more...] about Hércules’ Italian job on Barça restores Liga intrigue
It’s Real Mourinho vs. Spain FC as La Liga begins
Nobody can accuse Spain’s top teams of lacking stars. Real Madrid has Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Iker Casillas and now Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira. Barcelona, meanwhile, has eight players from Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, including Xavi Hernández, David Villa and Pedro Rodríguez. And yet, as the Spanish league season gets underway, the eye is drawn not to midfielder Andrés Iniesta, a football genius in an accountant’s body, or the stepovers and hair gel of Ronaldo, but rather the two sharply dressed men overseeing these players at the side of the pitch. This season, perhaps more than any other, is a battle between two managerial auteurs: Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and Madrid’s José … [Read more...] about It’s Real Mourinho vs. Spain FC as La Liga begins