Barcelona tipped to announce Mauricio Pochettino as new manager for two reasons
Posted Sunday, August 16, 2020 by Express.co.uk
Barcelona news: Guillem Balague says Barca should appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager (Image: GETTY/CBS SPORT)
Barcelona have been urged to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as the club's new manager.
Barcelona must soon announce that Mauricio Pochettino is their new manager, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague. Barca are set to sack Quique Setien following Friday's 8-2 demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino has, in the past, stated he would never manage Barca due to his playing and management past with rivals Espanyol.
But the Argentine is available, having been out of work since being sacked as Tottenham boss last November.
And his beloved Espanyol were relegated from La Liga this season, so he would not have to play against them in his first campaign at the Nou Camp.
Balague says those are two reasons why he would opt for the 48-year-old as Barca's next boss.
"Next, I think Barcelona should announce that Pochettino is the new manager," Balague told CBS Sports.
"He's available, Espanyol are in the second division, his team, and try to build something, even for a year, but try to build something.
"This is just the worst we've seen Barcelona forever. They've never lost this badly, ever."
Balague says Barca's problems should have been preempted by the club's hierarchy but claims no one has been brave enough to make the right decisions.
He added: "You're talking about an end of an era but the end of an era that we've been talking about for years now and nobody has been brave enough to actually do something about it.
"You could see it coming but even though you could see it coming, there was nobody, starting at the top, brave enough to say: 'Let's just actually bring young players that can do something new'.
"Barcelona are saying 'we've got youngsters coming through: Ansu Fait, Riqui Puig, [Alex] Collado, Pedri' - not enough."
Speaking after the loss to Bayern, Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu hinted a decision had already been made on the future of current boss Setien.
"There are some decisions that we have already made, and others that we will make over the next few days," Bartomeu said.
"Announcements will be made from next week, we need to make decisions after things have calmed down. Today is a day for reflection.
"Tomorrow we will try to raise our fans' spirits following such a heavy defeat."
Photos
More»
[PICTURE SPECIAL] Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea
Wednesday April 24 2024
Marcos Llorente’s wife wows in barely there swimsuit
Wednesday April 24 2024
Your Say