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Guardiola- The manager

Guardiola's brief managerial career with Barcelona has been one of the most successful in the club's history. Winning multiple Champions League titles and La Liga titles, many have praised Guardiola for adapting so quickly and effectively.


Guardiola quickly returned to Barcelona after his playing career ended. Having left the club six years ago, Guardiola rejoined the club as manager of Barcelona B. He only spent a year with the reserve side but earned them promotion to Segunda División B and caught the eye of president Joan Laporta. Laporta announced that Guardiola would take over from Frank Rijkaard at the start of the 2008-09 season. 


Guardiola quickly made the team his own. Announcing that Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o and others were not part of his plans. Most of these players left with the exception of Eto'o who impressed Guardiola enough to allow him to stay.


It was during this period that Guardiola signed some key players who remain in the first team to this day. Players such as Dani Alves, Seydou Keita and Gerard Piqué all joined the club. 


Barcelona earned their first La Liga title since 2006 in Guardiola's first season. A crucial game being the 6-2 victory against Real Madrid on May 2nd.  This was not the only trophy Guardiola won that season. He guided Barcelona to a 2-0 victory of Manchester United in the Champions League final. Making him the youngest manager ever to win the trophy.


At the start of the 2009-10 season Guardiola again invested heavily. Zlatan Ibrahimović signed for the club in a trade deal that sent Samuel Eto'o and €49 million to Inter Milan. Also a number of players both left and joined the club.


2009 marked a historic year for Barcelona as they became the first club ever to win a sextuple. Winning every competition they participated in. To this day a record still only Barcelona hold.


January 2010 had it's highs and lows. Barcelona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey, the first ever elimination under Guardiola, but Pep became the longest serving Spanish manager of Barcelona. He marked the occasion by signing a one year extension to his contract. February of the same year saw Guardiola coach his one hundredth match for Barcelona's first team.


Guardiola failed to retain his European title though. Barcelona were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League after a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Inter Milan. Guardiola didn't fail in the league though and Barcelona retained the trophy.


The 2010-11 season started the same as the others. Players moving it and out of the club, Thierry Henry and Yaya Touré being two of the big names to leave the club. Plus unsettled Ibrahimović left for Milan on loan. The club added to their squad by signing David Villa and Javier Mascherano. Guardiola once again extended his contract, this time pledging to stay with Barcelona until June 2012.


On the 29th November, Guardiola won his fifth Clásico in as many games with an emphatic 5-0 win at the Camp Nou. This was very representative of the entire season, as Barça again dominated Madrid for the third year in succession on their way to the La Liga title. Also defeating the Madrid giants on their way to the Champions League final.


Los Blancos did get one over the Catalans though. In the Copa del Rey during extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo rose well and scored the only goal of the game. Winning the trophy for Real.


After securing the league title, Guardiola faced the task of beating Sir Alex Fergueson's Manchester United in the Champions League final at Wembley. The London stadium was already hallowed ground for Barcelona having won the European cup there in 1992.


The trophy again went to the Catalans. Barcelona simply outclassed the Manchester side and thanks to Pedro, Messi and Villa earned Guardiola his second Champions League title in three years.


Many pundits hailed Barcelona's style of play as the cause of Barcelona's success. A style very much brought to the club by Guardiola, in particular the tika-taka philosophy. A method thoroughly engraved into Guardiola from his La Masia days. The style was so easily adopted by the first team because so many players had learned the tatic themselves during their time at La Masia.


The season of 2011-12 started with players leaving and coming just like every other season under Guardiola. Long time players Gabriel Milito , Jeffrn Suárez and Bojan Krkić all left the club whilst Alexis Sánchez and returning hero Cesc Fàbregas joined the club.


The season started with Barcelona returning to their winning ways with the acquisition of the Spanish Super Cup. Most important for Barcelona fans, it was victory over Real Madrid that earned them the title. Barcelona went on to win the Club World Cup later that same year. As it stands Barcelona are still in contention for the La Liga title, Copa del Rey and Champions League title heading into the final third of the season.


Guardiola is attempting to guide Barcelona to their fourth consecutive title. An incredible achievement for such a young manager who has only being with the club for four years. It will be a hard challenge for Pep to tame Madrid this year but for a man who has achieved it three times before it would be mad to bet against him.


Guardiola has the chance to go down in history as one of the best managers ever, not just for Barcelona. Having already won FIFA Mens World Coach of the Year he is not finished yet. Just turning 41, he has the chance to achieve even greater things. Especially if he stays with his boyhood club Barcelona and rightly earns his name in the Barcelona hall of fame, if it wasn't there already.

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