“Barcelona took the unusual step of promoting Guardiola from Barcelona ‘B’ coach to succeed Frank Rijkaard in July, 2008. The former Nou Camp midfielder had been a great player, but his relative inexperience in management raised many eyebrows: How he would manage to lead a dressing room filled with star names like Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o?” (ESPN)

Real Madrid Prepares to Spark Summer Frenzy (NYT)
“Less than a week after Barcelona’s great triumph in Rome, five of the eight richest clubs on earth have made drastic changes to their managerial structure. Removing the coach is a customary rite of summer. On Monday morning, Chelsea and A.C. Milan installed new men to run their teams, while Real Madrid went for the full revolution.”

Iniesta to miss Confederations Cup (World Soccer)
“England head to Kazakhstan this Saturday for a World Cup Qualifier knowing that the one and only time they met before the Three Lions won 5-1. Andres Iniesta has pulled out of Spain’s squad for the Confederations Cup after tests confirmed the Barcelona midfielder’s thigh muscle injury as serious.”

Bojan will not leave on loan this summer (FC Barcelona Blog: Barça Transfer Zone)
“Catalan sports papers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport both claim that Barcelona forward and Spanish youth international Bojan Krkic (18) will not leave on loan in the summer.”

Man City chief Cook working some weeks on Eto’o deal (tribalfootball)
“Manchester City have been working for some time on a deal for Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o, it has been revealed. The Times says Garry Cook, the chief executive, has spent several weeks putting together a package that he hopes will persuade Eto’o, the Barcelona striker, to move to the City of Manchester Stadium.”

Where Should We Re-Inforce? (All About FC Barcelona)
“FC Barcelona will be having a along and much tougher next season. We will be fighting for six trophies altogether as I explained in my previous post. Guardiola has already asked for a larger squad that means we will be going to the market looking to buy good re-inforcement.”

SFS “LIGA TEAM” 2008-2009 – Video (Spanish Football & Sports)