If he does quit, it could serve as a reminder of how stressful a top job at a demanding club is. Men like Mourinho, Ferguson, etc are under tremendous pressure to win trophies, entertain, play certain players and massage egos. Pep has said before that his job has been very taxing. He has also mentioned that teams go stale after 3 years with one manager, which is why in competitive leagues you rarely see teams winning more than a three-peat.
If he leaves, I hope nobody accuses him of leaving after a failed season. What might look like a failure at Barca would be a triumphant season for a team like Arsenal.
As for his reign: I hate Barca, but they are the best team I have seen since the Sacchi/Capello Milan. Better than Mourinho/Ancelotti's Inter, better than Mourinho's Chelsea, van Gaal's Ajax, The Real Galacticos, and Ferguson's turn of the millennium United.
The only times I saw European teams beat them while playing attacking football was Mourinho's Inter 3 years ago and Arsenal at the Emirates. That teams typically had to change adapt tactics specifically to play against him is a sign of the quality of his team's attacking play.
I'll remember him for trying out interesting formations and tools including
- false 9s
- 3 4 3
- converting Mascherano into a capable center back
I'll also remember the way his teams just bossed United because United were neither attacking enough to go toe-to-toe nor disciplined enough to just soak up the pressure like Chelsea.
Well done to him if he leaves. Long live Pep. Barcelona are dead.
