Barca seek winning end to Guardiola era

Spanish Copa Del Rey FinalFridayBarcelona vs Athletic 21:55 SS3MADRID – Barcelona have the chance to end the Pep Guardiola era in precisely the same way it began, with a King’s Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao on Friday.A drained Guardiola is to step aside and hand over the reins to his close friend and assistant Tito Vilanova for next season, but will hope to walk away with a 14th trophy from his glittering four-year spell in charge.The former Spanish international kicked off his trophy-winning run with a 4-1 Cup final win over Bilbao in May 2009.“His departure is traumatic for me,” Barca and Spain defender Gerard Pique, who returned to the Nou Camp just as Guardiola arrived in 2008, told a news conference.“I feel I am a much better player thanks to him and the whole team has learned a great deal. He will leave a void, but we’ll carry on with Tito and we’ll do well. That’s football, all eras come to an end.”Barca have already won the European and Spanish Super Cups and the Club World Cup this season, but missed out on the major prizes in the closing weeks of the campaign.They were denied a fourth consecutive La Liga crown by Real Madrid, and fell to Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals, before Guardiola’s shock decision not to renew his contract.There have been criticism in some quarters at the way Vilanova’s appointment was announced at the same news conference in which Guardiola said he was leaving, leading to speculation of a rift between the two.

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Barca seek winning end to Guardiola era