Pep should come back

by Lluís Canut
for El Mundo Deportivo



There are nine days left before the 2009-10 Barça starts walking and Guardiola will speak again. After he offered his last press conference in Deportivo's Riazor stadium, and with the exception of a clinic he gave, Pep hasn't spoken in public and how are we missing him. A lot of people think that from the moment the coach closed down the shop for the holidays, Barça has lost its main leader.

Laporta has taken advantage of the absence of the head coach to regain some media prominence and there almost didn't pass one day without seeing the president appear in public. Like Josep Luís Núñez, one of his predecessors, the current president is best when he lets the silence speak. It was one of the best lessons Laporta seemed to have learnt after the vote of no confidence, but with Guardiola gone, he hasn't been able to resist the temptation of the public scene.

On the other hand, and despite that we are told that they are in permanent contact, Txiki has not been able to close one transfer deal since Guardiola disappeared and not even to get rid of some of the players (Hleb, Cáceres and Gudjohnsen) the coach isn't counting on.

So the best thing that can happen to Barça is the immediate return of Pep to arrange everything and to reload the fans, through his wise words, with some self-esteem after the wave of star transfers by Florentino's Madrid. And his family must forgive me, but he should never go on holiday. Because last season he was able to transmit so much determination and desire, that he doesn't realize how we miss him now.