Pep Guardiola humiliates Real Madrid and dreams again

Football owes Guardiola a Champions League title. Pep won two titles with the best Barça in history (2009 and 2011), but neither at Bayern (three seasons) nor at Manchester City (this is his seventh) has he managed to conquer Europe. Everyone points to him as the best coach in the world. His footballing wonders. And his track record backs him up. But the Champions League has eluded him for too long. 

Although Guardiola has now a new opportunity to reconcile with his past. This Wednesday, his team achieved a brilliant qualification for the final, where they will face the surprising Inter Milan. Manchester City gave a real bath to a Madrid side that was a shadow of the fearsome team that used to scare in the continental tournament. Los Blancos succumbed at the Etihad Stadium to the might of the English side, who found in Bernardo Silva the executing talent. His two goals in the first half were enough to knock out the reigning champions and confirm their undisputed status as favourites. Guardiola is now a step closer to his dream: to be Champions League winner again twelve years after his last title with Barça.

ALEMANY'S RETURN

The reversed resignation of Mateu Alemany has been the latest twist in the rollercoaster of emotions that is Barça. The sporting director announced his departure just a fortnight ago and yesterday, just 24 hours after Jordi Cruyff decided not to stay at the club, he changed his mind and asked to honour his contract until 2024. Let everyone draw their own conclusions.

The official version is that Mateu wants to help Barça because he feels the project is his own and that is why he rejects the offer from Aston Villa, even if economically it is much higher. A praise-worthy gesture that has taken Laporta by surprise, celebrating with great satisfaction this ball of oxygen for the club. Xavi too, who has an extraordinary relationship with Alemany. But all these moves are, to say the least, strange. I don't know if they are the result of the improvisation in which Barça is immersed or of the most absurd coincidence. The best thing of all is that Mateu and Xavi (supposedly with Deco's support) will be able to finish the reconstruction of the squad. Let's hope it goes smoothly...