Dein erstes Forum » He recalled making the tough phon

BARCELONA, Spain -- Pep Guardiola, the managerial mastermind who led Barcelona to 14 of 19 possible titles in four seasons, is returning to Camp Nou.This time he will be at the helm of Manchester City as he faces his boyhood club in the Champions League on Wednesday.But how does the best of the teams Guardiola coached from 2008-2012 stack up against the current Barcelona side?Here is a comparison of Barcelonas current players with those led by Guardiola in 2008-09, the team that started the clubs winning era by becoming the first Spanish club to win the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey in the same season.Barcelona repeated that rare feat of winning the treble of titles two seasons ago under present coach Luis Enrique.---FORWARDSMessi/Etoo/Henry (2008-09) vs. Messi/Suarez/Neymar (now)A budding star at 21 years old, Lionel Messi fully blossomed under Guardiola.The Argentina star won his first of a record five Ballon dOr awards in 2009, after having scored important goals such as his double in a historic 6-2 win at Real Madrid and the second goal in a 2-0 win to beat Manchester United in the Champions League final.Guardiola got one more superb season from striker Samuel Etoo, and squeezed out some of the last vintage goals that Thierry Henry had to offer.Hard to top that, right?Just look at Messis present partners in attack.With Messi moving away from a pure scorer to becoming both scorer and playmaker, Luis Suarez and Neymar have proven to be perfect fits up front. Suarez is the voracious goal-taker that Messi needed to focus on orchestrating, while Neymars dribbling skills and speed are almost unstoppable. The trio broke scoring records in each of the last two seasons.ADVANTAGE: Luis Enriques current attack.---MIDFIELDXavi/Toure/Iniesta (2008-09) vs. Rakitic/Busquets/Iniesta (now)Both teams enjoy the devilry of Andres Iniesta, but the 2008-09 side had both Yaya Toure and an upstart Sergio Busquets sharing time in front of the defense, as opposed to the current teams reliance on Busquets as a holding midfielder.The major difference, however, is the downgrade from Xavi Hernandez to Ivan Rakitic.Rakitic is more athletic and a better tackler than Xavi, but that cannot trump Xavis vision, poise and control of the match. The World Cup winner was Guardiolas on-pitch general of a possession-based passing attack that bewildered opponents.In other words, its a no-brainer.ADVANTAGE: Guardiolas 2008-09 midfield.---DEFENSEDani Alves/Puyol/Pique/Abidal (2008-09) vs. Roberto/Pique/Mascherano/Alba (now)Always at the service of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, Barcelonas defense under Guardiola was easy to overlook.But that 2008-09 team enjoyed Dani Alves and Eric Adibal in their prime, a fully fit Carles Puyol before he was diminished by injuries, and a Gerard Pique hungry to come into his own.Pique now anchors a back line that is under transition.Jordi Alba offers blistering pace on the left flank, but its other two positions are in flux.Sergi Roberto, a converted midfielder, has impressed as Dani Alves replacement so far, while the other central defender position is in dispute between an aging Javier Mascherano and newcomer Samuel Umtiti.ADVANTAGE: Guardiolas 2008-09 defense.---GOALKEEPER: Valdes (2008-09) vs. Ter Stegen (now)Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has just inherited the full-time goalkeeping responsibilities from Claudio Bravo. Despite his passing skills and ability to make spectacular saves, the German needs to improve his decision making to reach the level of Victor Valdes from 2008-09.ADVANTAGE: Guardiolas 2008-09 goalkeeper.---CONCLUSION:Even though this Barcelona side should be favored over City, it has a way to go to equal the overall excellence of Guardiolas first Barcelona squad. Stitched NHL Jerseys . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. NHL Jerseys From China . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. http://www.cheapnhlcustomjerseys.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Fake Adidas NHL Jerseys . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Online . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. In another lifetime, Josh Mansour wouldve been playing with a Teddy instead of a Matty. And the NRL world wouldve been a vastly different place.But the Penrith star insists he has no regrets turning down a lucrative NRL offer from Ricky Stuart in 2014 to become one of his cornerstones in Canberra.Both Mansour and Wests Tigers star James Tedesco were brazenly photographed touring the nations capital two years ago that wouldve jump-started Stuarts rebuild of the Green Machine.However the pair, both of whom made their NSW State of Origin debuts this year, ultimately turned him down.With me and Teddy there, we wouldve changed their backline, Mansour told AAP ahead of Saturdays semi-final between the Panthers and Raiders at GIO Stadium.But you know what, those guys they have got down there have been outstanding this year and Im sure theyll keep performing for that team.Its crazy when you think about it now. But at the end of the day, I dont regret the decision I made.He recalled making the tough phone call to Stuart two years ago, when he explained that he simply couldnt move further away from his family in Sydney.The winger opted to remmain with the Panthers, continuing a blossoming career that has included a Kangaroos jumper two years ago, and a maiden Blues jumper this year.dddddddddddd.It was difficult to knock him back. At the time, I thought of Ricky an outstanding coach and has done great things for that club, Mansour said.But family was the most important factor in my decision. I just couldnt go away from that. He understood totally and Im really pleased with that.My heart was here.His career trajectory has only steepened since his Blues debut, leading his side to a stirring elimination final victory over Canterbury that has catapulted them into premiership contention.His combination with skipper Matt Moylan in particular was at its flamboyant best on Sunday, and both could now be in line to make the Kangaroos squad for Octobers Four Nations tour.Ive got to credit (Moylans) silky hands - they have rubbed off on me. The teams performance has allowed me to play the way Im playing. And Im just playing whats in front of me, he said. ' ' '