As the curtain was raised on the liga season last summer, he was largely an anonymous figure known only by FC Barcelona aficionados, but one lone act would change that. As a melee that so often accompanies a Clásico broke out at the Camp Nou between the 22 men on the pitch, substitutes and technical staff, José Mourinho calmly strolled over and poked Tito Vilanova in the eye.
The Barcelona assistant coach swiftly responded with a slap to the back of ‘The Special One’s’ head. Vilanova was no longer anonymous and while still in the background, his figure would loom large over Barça’s season, culminating in his appointment as the new head coach after four years of Pep Guardiola at the helm.
So often when coaches are promoted from within, it is said that the number two was the true genius behind the manager’s success and while that would be an exaggeration, in this case it appears to bear some truth. With Vilanova absent for some time this season with illness, Barcelona’s form dropped and Guardiola was often seen on the phone in the dugout requesting help from his right-hand man. When he was named coach of the year at the FIFA gala earlier in the year, the former Barça midfielder dedicated part of his speech to the man who would eventually succeed him.
On Friday morning as journalists eagerly awaited Guardiola’s official announcement, the managerial candidates were being rounded up. Strong favourites were Marcelo Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique. Even former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas was being touted for the job.
Vilanova was barely mentioned but when finally announced, it seemed such an obvious choice. Guardiola had been given the same surprising opportunity when he was promoted from Barcelona B manager to head of one of the world’s biggest clubs four years ago – and look how well that turned out.
It seems only logical that for a club with such a strong identity and specific style of play, they would choose to stick close to home to preserve the Barcelona philosophy that is now so intertwined with Guardiola’s history and subsequently with that of the assistant coach.
It is a move which will provide continuity and while Guardiola assured the waiting press pack that the club was in safe hands, it remains to be seen how the new man in charge will tackle the step forward into the spotlight. He is taking on the role at a difficult time, which has seen Barcelona all but concede the liga title to Madrid and certainly their Champions League trophy to either Chelsea or Bayern Munich.
The Barcelona assistant coach swiftly responded with a slap to the back of ‘The Special One’s’ head. Vilanova was no longer anonymous and while still in the background, his figure would loom large over Barça’s season, culminating in his appointment as the new head coach after four years of Pep Guardiola at the helm.
So often when coaches are promoted from within, it is said that the number two was the true genius behind the manager’s success and while that would be an exaggeration, in this case it appears to bear some truth. With Vilanova absent for some time this season with illness, Barcelona’s form dropped and Guardiola was often seen on the phone in the dugout requesting help from his right-hand man. When he was named coach of the year at the FIFA gala earlier in the year, the former Barça midfielder dedicated part of his speech to the man who would eventually succeed him.
On Friday morning as journalists eagerly awaited Guardiola’s official announcement, the managerial candidates were being rounded up. Strong favourites were Marcelo Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique. Even former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas was being touted for the job.
Vilanova was barely mentioned but when finally announced, it seemed such an obvious choice. Guardiola had been given the same surprising opportunity when he was promoted from Barcelona B manager to head of one of the world’s biggest clubs four years ago – and look how well that turned out.
It seems only logical that for a club with such a strong identity and specific style of play, they would choose to stick close to home to preserve the Barcelona philosophy that is now so intertwined with Guardiola’s history and subsequently with that of the assistant coach.
It is a move which will provide continuity and while Guardiola assured the waiting press pack that the club was in safe hands, it remains to be seen how the new man in charge will tackle the step forward into the spotlight. He is taking on the role at a difficult time, which has seen Barcelona all but concede the liga title to Madrid and certainly their Champions League trophy to either Chelsea or Bayern Munich.
Tactical nous is one thing, man management is quite another and unlike Madrid’s number two, Aitor Karanka, who regularly holds press conferences in the absence of Mourinho, the Spanish press – who are unforgiving at the best of times – have yet to hear from the new man. Vilanova will have to find his voice and fast.
