Even the things he did well could be held against him; there were many
who threw the compliments back in his face. "Maybe it's true," he said,
"maybe I do piss perfume." He may be wrong, he may be sensitive, he is
no angel and he is not entirely blameless, but the Barcelona boss has
found much of what relentlessly swirls around these clubs
incomprehensible and unjust. The accusations and suspicions, the
constant tension, the interests, have taken their toll. He was all too
aware of the use that could be made of his every word and at times felt
powerless to defend himself. The involvement was always huge; now it is
just too much. He has found himself pulled into territory in which he is
uncomfortable. This is not what he wanted, nor what he proposed. But it
is what there is and it is inescapable. When Mourinho insisted that he
and Guardiola were the same, the Barcelona coach said: "I will have to
revise my behaviour then."
Put in simple terms: Pep Guardiola has not often enjoyed the past two years. In the build up to the final one of four clásicos
played towards the end of last season, he said: "These have been 18
difficult days." His face revealed just how difficult. A few days
before, he had snapped against Mourinho with his now famous rant about
how the Portuguese coach was the "puto amo" [the fucking
master] in the Bernabéu press conference room. That was planned,
controlled. But he has not been able to control his environment as he
would like; and being in control is something that has always concerned
him. He has turned increasingly to sarcasm. At times it has carried a
bitter sting.
There was something a little sad about the scene
last week. Asked about the meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona,
Guardiola seemed to have forgotten about some of the moments that
defined his spell on the Barcelona bench, about the 6-2 and the 5-0,
about reaching the Champions League final and claiming the Spanish Super
Cup, about some of Leo Messi's most marvellous moments and his own
tactical innovations, such as winning at the Bernabéu with three at the
back. Instead, he said: "I don't have good memories of them." And when
that happens it is time to walk away.
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