FC Barcelona: 5 Former Barça Players Who Could Succeed Pep Guardiola
It may not be something to think about, but it must be mentioned: Pep Guardiola could leave FC Barcelona sooner rather than later. Pep is still considering whether to come back for the 2012-13 season. While all of Catalonia holds their collective breath, many are beginning to consider the doomsday scenario of Pep leaving.
Many people would like to see a Barcelona man at the helm. Someone who is familiar with the club, better yet someone familiar with some of players like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
So what better than having a former Barça player to be the next manager?
I decided to take a look at five former Barça players that could replace Guardiola if he decides he’s done with FC Barcelona. Some of these five have Dutch ties, while others were teammates of Pep’s back in the day and a few of them know some of the players very well. I give their experience with the team and the potential benefits of having that person manage the team.
For the record, this list is by no means me stating that I think any of these five former Barça players should be hired next season, so don’t misunderstand me. Personally, I don’t want to see Pep leave. I don’t know any Culé that wants that.
That being said, here are five former Barça players who could succeed Pep Guardiola as manager of FC Barcelona.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
1 of 6One potential replacement for Pep is good old Gio, Giovanni van Brockhorst. Gio played four seasons at the Camp Nou, helping Barça win the 2004-05 Liga and again in 05-06. Gio played in all UEFA Champions League games during Barcelona’s run to the 2006 UEFA Champions League title.
Gio played under fellow Dutchman Frank Rijkaard.
Gio retired in 2010 after the FIFA World Cup. Soon after that, he became an assistant manager with the Netherlands U-21 national team. He is currently an assistant coach with his boyhood team Feyenoord.
While he may not be as experienced, Gio would bring a familiar, Frank Rijkaard-esque coaching style to the club. Rijkaard was an attack-minded manager who used a 4-1-2-2-1 formation most of the time. We obviously don’t know how the team would play with this formation, but some of the players would be familiar with it.
Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Carles Puyol all played with Gio and played under Rijkaard. Eric Abidal played under Frank for one season as well (2008).
This one is a long shot due to his lack of experience as a manager, but Gio has always been a respected leader and would bring a familiar Dutch flair to the Camp Nou bench. Perhaps Barcelona could be the place where he becomes a manager for the first time.
Tito Vilanova
2 of 6If you can’t have Pep, why not get Pep’s right hand man?
Francesc “Tito” Vilanova i Bayo would be another candidate for FC Barcelona manager if Pep Guardiola decides not to re-sign.
Tito Vilanova never played for Barcelona’s first squad, but he was a product of Barça’s cantera (youth system) and played for Barcelona B from 1988-1990. He played for seven teams in 12 years and finally retired in 2002.
Tito was asked by Pep to be his assistant coach in 2007 when Pep was hired to be Barcelona B manager. Tito followed Pep to the first squad in 2008. Since then, it seems like Pep and Tito are joined at the hip.
If Guardiola decides to leave, Tito may be offered an interview by Sandro Rosell. He obviously knows the system and knows the players; need I say more? Pep would be supportive of seeing his friend finally get a managerial job, even if it’s Pep’s old job.
While being the manager of FC Barcelona would be a dream come true for Tito Vilanova, it’s more than likely that Tito Vilanova follows Pep Guardiola to wherever Pep goes.
Still, the possibility is there.
Eusebio Sacristan
3 of 6If you’re a Culé, chances are you know the name Eusebio Sacristan. If you are not a Culé, you probably don’t remember the name.
I’ll refresh you.
Eusebio was a midfielder for FC Barcelona from 1988-1995. He was a member of Barça’s famed “Dream Team” of 1992 and played many minutes for Johan Cruyff. Sacristan retired from professional football in 2002. He then became an assistant to Frank Rijkaard for all of Frank’s tenure at Barcelona.
After Pep Guardiola took over the first squad, Eusebio coached Celta de Vigo, a second division team in Spain, in 2009. In 2011, FC Barcelona named him the new manager of Barcelona B, replacing Luis Enrique, who left for AS Roma.
Like the aforementioned Luis Enrique, Sacristan has familiarity with some players of the current first squad like Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello, Sergi Roberto and Martin Montoya. Some of the current players like Messi, Iniesta, Puyol and Xavi know Eusebio well as he was an assistant manager under Rijkaard.
Albeit he may need more experience, but Eusebio will be considered by Sandro Rosell if Pep decides to leave. Pep and Eusebio have a good working relationship and would be given Pep’s blessing if given the job (if Pep’s blessing mattered).
Frank de Boer
4 of 6FC Barcelona has always had a Dutch touch. From Johan Cruyff to Frank Rijkaard, Barcelona has had success with Dutch skippers in the past. One manager that could replace Pep Guardiola is former Barça defender and current Ajax manager Frank de Boer.
De Boer played 10 years at Ajax before heading to Barcelona in 1998. He played five seasons at the Camp Nou, making 143 appearances for the club.
De Boer is one of the most decorated players in Netherlands national team history. He is the second-most capped player in Netherlands history with 122 caps.
De Boer was in charge of Ajax A1, the club’s reserve team, in 2007, and later became an assistant manager with the Dutch national team in 2008. In 2010, De Boer was appointed manager of his former team Ajax. He led his team to the Eredivisie title that season.
Frank de Boer may not be the first person people think to replace Pep Guardiola, but he needs to be given serious consideration. He brought Ajax back in the Eredivisie to overtake defending champs FC Twente, winning their last eight of nine games. He knows what it takes to win a title—given that La Liga and FC Barcelona are completely different from Ajax and the Eredivisie.
Being with the Dutch team as an assistant manager for two years helped him get the experience of working with big stars as well. De Boer was mentored mainly by Louis Van Gaal, and that may not sit well with many club members and fans, as Van Gaal was not a very popular figure with many people including the media in Barcelona.
In a recent interview with Goal.com, Frank de Boer stated it will be hard for Ajax to stay competitive in Europe do to their inability to hold on to players. He also stated that he feels that Ajax has become a feeder club to major teams.
Playing off this theme, as most football fans know, teams like Ajax—with all due respect—are also feeder clubs for managers as well. De Boer knows this as well and I’m sure he’d seriously consider moving to Barcelona if the opportunity came calling.
Who wouldn’t want to coach this team? (Don't answer this question, Pep).
Frank de Boer left Ajax for FC Barcelona as a player and he could very well do the same thing as a manager.
Luis Enrique
5 of 6If Pep Guardiola decides to leave the club, one of the first people to get a phone call from Sandro Rosell would be Pep’s former teammate and current AS Roma manager Luis Enrique.
Enrique played for Real Madrid from 1991-1996. He stunned everyone when he signed a deal with the Catalans following the 1995-96 season. Enrique spent eight years with the club, scoring 73 goals in over 200 official appearances with the club. He retired as captain of el blaugrana in 2004.
In 2008, Luis Enrique became the new Barcelona B manager, replacing Pep as head man. He helped the B team return to La Liga’s Segunda Division in 2010. In 2011, Enrique became the manager of AS Roma, signing a two-year deal with the Italian club.
Roma is currently seventh in the Serie A standings.
The benefit of having Luis Enrique as manager of FC Barcelona is clear. He knows many of the players, especially players that he managed at Barcelona B including Sergio Busquets, Isaac Cuenca, Cristian Tello, Thiago Alcantara, Sergi Roberto, Martin Montoya and Pedro Rodriguez. His familiarity with those players would be a major advantage as he’d already know the players’ strengths and weaknesses.
Luis Enrique taught many football skills to most of the mentioned players. His playing philosophy is similar to Pep’s, so the offense may not change very much.
In a recent interview with SPORT.es, Enrique said he hopes that Pep stays with Barcelona.
We all hope so, Luis.
But if not, Luis Enrique is loved by Culés. He knows the players and many consider him the best replacement for Pep Guardiola if he leaves.
Conclusion
6 of 6My personal opinion, if Pep leaves, can Sandro Rosell just name Xavi as player/coach? He’s arguably the greatest midfielder in blaugrana history, he’d follow Pep’s system and he has the respect and trust of the team.
(Just look at this picture and how similar it is to Pep's picture at the beginning of this article! He's got the Pep look already – only with hair.)
It won’t happen, I know.
Sign the deal, Pep.
Visca el Barça!
Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter: @XoelCardenas
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