FCBARCELONA.CAT

14.01.2010 17:37

The end of 21 perfect months

Jesús Carrillo

Barca’s elimination by Seville on Wednesday night was the first time the team had been knocked out of a cup competition since April 2008, when they went down at Old Trafford to Manchester United.

It’s been 21 months without a cup defeat for Barca since the night of April 20th at Old Trafford when they went out of to Champions League to the eventual winners Manchester United.

The team that won everything

Since Pep Guardiola took over as manager the club has enjoyed one of its most successful ever periods in its long and glorious history as the team has won the Spanish Cup and League, Champions League, Spanish and European Super Cups and the World Club Cup and Wednesday nights elimination was the first the team has suffered under the guidance of their Catalan boss.


Four leagues for Pep

If the team’s achievement in going 21 months without defeat is impressive, even more so is their manager’s. Since he began with Barca B in the third division in July 2007, Guardiola has won every league title possible – Group 5 of the third division with the reserves, last year’s La Liga title and both Group stages in the Champions League

12 knock out wins……

Guardiola has won 12 of the 13 knock out ties he’s been in charge of . With Barca B he oversaw the defeats of Castillo and Barbastre in the play offs for promotion to Segona B and as boss of the first team he’s seen his team win over two legs against Benidorm, Atlètico Madrid, Espanyol, Mallorca and Cultural Leonesa. In the Champions League his teams have overcome Wisla Cracow, Olympic Lyon, Bayern Munich and Chelsea and they also beat Bilbao in the two legged Spanish Super Cup.

...and four finals

Barca have yet to lose a final under Guardiola, having beaten Bilbao in Valencia, Manchester United in Rome, Shaktar in Monaco and Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi.