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08.07.2008 13:16
Guardiola back in Italy
www.fcbarcelona.cat
The new Barça manager will be retuning to familiar territory on July 30, when the team plays Fiorentina. Guardiola once played for both Brescia and Roma.
Next week everything gets started for Barça 2008/09, with the main objective on the horizon being qualification for the group stages of the Champions League. In preparation, they have a series of pre-season matches, and before they go off on their US Tour, they will be travelling to Florence. This will mark Guardiola’s return to a country where he played in Serie A from 2001 to 2003.
Left Barça in 2001
Guardiola arrived at La Masía in 1984. He joined
the first team in 1990/91 and after 379 games he left Barça, after a long drawn out series of
negotiations, he eventually signed for Brescia, a side now playing in Italy’s Serie B.
Two years in Italy
Managed by Carlo Mazzone, Pep played alongside Roberto Baggio, but only played 11 games, scoring two goals, in Lombardy, before he was snapped up by Roma in 2002. But Fabio Capello took little interest in giving the Catalan regular football, and Guardiola opted to return to Brescia after six months, and played a key role in helping the side avoid relegation.
Fiore eight years after
Barça will face Fiorentina on July 3 in their third friendly of the pre-season. They have only
played away to the Florentine outfit twice before, in 1996/97, under Bobby Robson when they won 2-0
with goals from Couto and, curiously enough, Guardiola. They met again in the 1999/00 Champions
league, and a thrilling encounter ended 3-3.
