Pep Guardiola has leapt to the defence of Barca’s right back, Dani Alves after the Brazilian was sent off if Guardiola’s final league match as Barca boss. Alves was sent off for a second half foul on Jefferson Montero and has been roundly criticised since, but Guardiola has defended him, declaring that he is and “irreplaceable player”.
Barca struggled after Alves’ sending off and it took a last minute goal from Seydou Keita to snatch an equaliser for last season’s champions.
Guardiola took the time in his last league post match press conference to hail the Brazilian and stifle any talk of a transfer away from the Nou Camp.
“Alves exit rumours? It’s not up to me anymore, but for me he is irreplaceable.”
AC Milan are amongst a host of clubs keen to take advantage if Alves does become available this summer but it is clear that if it were Guardiola’s decision Alves would be staying precisely where he is.
Guardiola accepted that it was a foolish mistake and a side of his game which Alves must work upon in the future but he emphasised that the player’s class at the top level made him well worth sticking by. He was keen to press the point that Barca would be hard pressed to find a replacement for Alves should he leave, and realistically that has got to be the basis for deciding if a player stays or goes.
Guardiola finished his La Liga press conference dismissing talk that the division would be a worse one without him. “La Liga existed before me and will exist after me, and I have no idea(what I will do), I cannt answer that now”.
Guardiola and Barca will part permanently on May 25 when they take on Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey Final. They will be hoping to go out on a high and add one more trophy to the impressive collection they have achieved together.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that Barcelona have regressed in terms of quality from last season when they were at their peak. Barcelona will be taking on Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final knowing that they need to win at the Camp Nou in order to have any chance of progressing to the final of the competition.
Chelsea won the first leg at Stamford Bridge 1-0, which gives them the opportunity to play for a draw at the Camp Nou. The Spanish club have been one of the best teams in the world over the last three seasons, but Arsene Wenger reckons that they are beginning to tire.
Speaking after the 0-0 draw with Chelsea during the weekend, Wenger said that the Barcelona that played against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is not the same Barcelona we have become used to over the last couple of seasons. This is certainly strange because considering the fact that Barcelona back in the 2009 Champions League semi-final created only one shot on target against Chelsea. Barcelona come into the second leg encounter with Chelsea on the back of two consecutive defeats. Lionel Messi has never lost three games in a row in his Barcelona career, but Wenger feels that Chelsea have more than a chance at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
“The Barcelona that we have seen last Wednesday is not the Barcelona of last year. It is far from impossible [for Chelsea] to qualify because they go in an even better position than we did last season – 1‑0 is a fantastic result. Barcelona will have 70% of the ball but is it not worth trying to score a goal? That would, mentally, be a massive blow to Barcelona because I have seen last year when we scored… it was a lucky goal but I could see suddenly that they became very nervous,” Wenger told The Guardian.
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has laughed off suggestions that he is one of the favourites to take over at Chelsea come the summer.
Chelsea recently sacked their Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas after just 257 days, which has drew mixed opinions from media and fans. This is the seventh manager in just seven seasons for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. Many have been calling for patience within football, but it seems to be an attribute Roman Abramovich desperately needs at this moment.
Barcelona manager Guardiola and Real Madrid manager José Mourinho are the favourites to take over, while former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has expressed his interest in taking over if offered a position.
Barcelona manager Guardiola, though, has laughed off the suggestions that he would be interested in the Chelsea job by saying sarcastically that he is in regular contact with Chelsea. Guardiola’s contract with Barcelona comes to an end at the end of the season. He is a manager who signs only one year extensions to his contract.
It has been no different this time around as well, but so far, he is yet to sign an extension for next season. There have been reports that Guardiola is looking for a new challenge in management.
“I think he is a fantastic coach but we all know that in this business everything depends on results and not on our own capacity as a coach. Time is not something you get, but when you do this job you know that. I can’t comment any more because I don’t know the situation at Chelsea, but the results never came,” said Guardiola when speaking about the possibility of taking over at Chelsea and also about his inspirations.
Guardiola praised the late Sir Bobby Robson by saying that he is a huge influence on his managerial career.
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May 15, 2012 7:14 pm | 
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