VILLANOVA WANTS DEFENDERS

Barcelona’s new manager Tito Villanova has said that he will be looking to bring his a few defensive players in the summer transfer window. It is the start of a new era at the Camp Nou after assistant manager Tito Villanova will be taking over from manager Guardiola, who has stepped down from his post due to fatigue. It is going to be extremely difficult for anyone who is replacing Guardiola to repeat his achievements with the Spanish club. The former Barcelona captain guided the club to a quite impressive 14 trophies in just four seasons. Tito Villanova has agreed a new two-year deal with the club recently.

Immediately after taking over at the club, the 42-year-old has confirmed that he will be not looking at enhancing the attacking options at the club, but will be focusing more on the defensive side. Barcelona have been left extremely vulnerable in the defence this season due to the lack of Carlos Puyol for most of the matches, while Pique has also not been at his best. As a result, midfielder Mascherano has been used as the centre back in numerous matches by Guardiola. Tito Villanova also acknowledged that he will not be looking to change the system too much.

“We want to reinforce the squad at the back. It’s a position we have had problems with. At the moment, we are interested in a left back and a centreback. We don’t have any plans to bring in any one up front. Last year David Villa, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro all suffered injuries but we hope next year they’ll be ok. Also we can count on (youth academy players) Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello. Pep and I were very close. Pep was the communicator of the message, but he shared the decision-making with me 50-50 and sought my opinion. Most of the time we were in complete agreement,” said the new Barcelona manager.