Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has always been up front about the fact that the fatigue and internal politics were what cut his time at Barcelona short. After the most successful four years in the club’s history, he resigned, not quite sworn, but likely never to return as manager.
Simultaneously, few retain the same lover for the Blaugrana, and Guardiola knows it better than almost anyone.
Lamine Yamal was 18 months old when Espanyol last beat Barcelona in La Liga. Pau Cubarsí was barely two years old. @AdriiFdez pic.twitter.com/gIl360Eed0
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 1, 2024
“From my point of view, Barca should not change its model. From the outside, everyone sees Barca as something different. This club gives off a charisma, a special smell. What greater praise can you receive?”
Yet he holds little hope of the ‘entorno’ or environment that Barcelona live in of changing, despite some of the damaging aspects of the way the club is run.
“It has always been like this, and it always will be. It has happened to all of us. Here the shots come from everywhere, and every day. But the ones that hurt the most are the ones that arise from within. There are many small wars within Barca every day. In the end you come to the conclusion that the only thing that matters is convincing your players of your idea and what you think should be done. As for the rest, it is better not to enter to take care of your own health,” he told TV3, as quoted by Sport.
“The danger of daily fatigue that comes with trying to manage the Barca environment. The scorn for what you do is constant and this ends up taking its toll on you.”
Guardiola dealt with his own struggles despite being the most successful manager in the club’s history, but the issues he discusses can clearly be seen in last season’s manager Xavi Hernandez. The news cycle barely slowed in his final months in charge, as feuds, and battles became public knowledge, and agendas took their toll on the Catalan manager. The stress and the pressure had led to him initially resigning.
