17.06.2008 14:00
Guardiola considered the ideal man for Barça
Anna Segura
Both president Joan Laporta and director of football Txiki Begiristain agreed at Pep Guardiola’s presentation that their new head coach “transmits enthusiasm” and has got people excited about the forthcoming season.
“He brings together all the conditions to become one of the best coaches Barça could
have” said president Joan Laporta at the start of his speech in Sala París, where a large
crowd has gathered to see Josep Guardiola being presented as the first team manager of FC
Barcelona.
The president said that his board was unanimous in its support for the new leader,
“because of his knowledge of football, but also because of what he knows about the
club”.
A new era
Having played together for so many years in the Dream Team,
Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain will be working together again, and the director of football
admitted that “this is a very special day.” He said he was “calm, confident and
enthusiastic” that Guardiola has been named as the man for the job.
The president went on to say that Guardiola “is the perfect person to manage Barça over
the next few years … it is the start of a new era and everything is starting to generate a
sense of excitement”.
Serious but spectacular
One of the reasons for sitting Guardiola on the FC Barcelona
bench, claimed Joan Laporta was "a style of play that so many of us Barça supporters like, serious
football, but one that also takes spectacle into account, and Guardiola knows how to find that
balance”.
Txiki looking for group effort
Txiki Begiristain also mentioned that Guardiola is a man with a profound respect for the club
and that he “generates ambition as a coach, he makes a group, he works collectively …
he immediately led us to believe that he is the right manager”.
Love for the colours
As well as his coaching skills, Laporta and Txiki also admire the new manager’s passion for
Barça. Laporta said he felt proud to see Guardiola’s relationship with the club getting
continuity, after he started out at the club so many years ago, and is now about to write a whole
new chapter in Barça history. “He is a player you can gamble on, he has got character, class,
knowledge and a love for the club that is always necessary” said Joan Laporta.