Señor Pep Guardiola, take a bow

Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster, England

As a player Pep Guardiola won everything and replicated the success during the 2008/09 season, his first year as manager of FC Barcelona. Increíble. Achievements continued for the young manager as he lifted the two following La Liga titles amongst other trophies. Last night he added a second Champions League medal to his managerial honours after outclassing Manchester United 3-1. Losing manager Alex Ferguson praised this team in his post-match conference with his golden words: “The best team we have ever played." Guardiola’s Barcelona could be regarded as one of the greatest teams of all time, levelling Real Madrid which dominated the 50’s, Ajax of the early 70’s or AC Milan of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Victories must continue for this stupendous team and it’s likely that they will.

When a team wins, the praise generally focuses on the players but on this occasion it’s time to shine the light on Super Pep, 10 trophies in 3 years. Super enough? Probably not for him.

This Barcelona side was inherited from Frank Riijkard who set the foundations for the attacking team which played under a 4-3-3 formation. Guardiola made two changes to the starting eleven as he purchased Dani Alves and Pique who rapidly established themselves, the rest were already there. The ‘drastic’ changes within the squad were the sales of Deco, Ronaldinho, Zambrotta and dos Santos (who many believed had a great potential). As Guardiola, a former home-grown player who was promoted from the B team after a glorious season; intensively invested in the cantera and throughout his reign over 25 players completing their debut in the iconic jersey. Finally and most importantly, the style radically changed with possession revolving around the team and the philosophy reflect a modern Total Football approach which Cruyff mastered. The transformation was complete, Guardiola took Barcelona to another dimension and the rest, well that’s history.

Now to the present where Villa and Pedro complete the attacking trio with Messi. It’s been a magical season for the club where the achievements started with the addition of another Supercopa, preceeded by an impressive league campaign as they finished in pole position with 96 points. The unforgettable 5-0 thumping to eternal rivals Real Madrid must also be highlighted. However, this club is not unbeatable as they suffered two defeats, one at home to Hercules and away to Real Sociedad. In addition, Barcelona lost the Copa del Rey final to a Ronaldo header, still unbeatable? No. But the pinnacle of the year, the cherry on the cake, was their last fixture on the congested calendar, the Champions League Final against Manchester United. The Spanish champions vs the English champions, 4-3-3 vs 4-4-2, Guardiola vs Ferguson. Second Round!

The 3-1 victory was probably the manager’s greatest achievement for several reasons; they played sublime after United’s 10 minute dominating run. Once Barcelona set the tempo, they gained confidence and controlled possession, they simply annihilated United; the score-line could’ve easily been greater. All that wespectators could do was appreciate the sheer brilliance. To add a personal touch, Wembley was the pitch where Guardiola first tasted European glory and last night he was able to show the world his masterpiece once more, portraying football at its finest. Furthermore, Guardiola silenced Jose Mourinho and the media following the "scandals” or “conspiracies” circulating the semi-final legs against Real Madrid, he eloquently stated:

“The world has seen that Barcelona deserved to win the Champions League”.

The legacy is not over, next year Barcelona has the capability to secure a 4th consecutive La Liga title, a milestone accomplished by Johan Cruyff with “The Dream Team”. That thought must be resting in Guardiola’s mind and the ambition of conquering a back-to-back Champions League title which has never been accomplished since its birth in 1992. The latter is incredibly challenging to achieve especially as their opponents will be stronger; AC Milan will be a new side, Real Madrid naturally refined, United aiming to bounce back and Manchester City or FC Porto could be a surprise. The challenges are set.

Following Johan Cruyff’s words which created intense tension: “Guardiola has worked very hard over the last few years and it wouldn’t surprise me if he left independently of Saturday’s result.“ Thousands of thoughts must have been travelling silently inside the minds of fans, after all its great to end on a high. However, after Guardiola conquered his second European crown he responded with delightful words: