Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he is extremely saddened by the exit of Guardiola as the Barcelona manager from the end of this season. Guardiola recently announced his decision to step down from the post after four years in charge during which time he has managed to convert Barcelona into the greatest team in the world. Arsene Wenger is a known admirer of the very Barcelona play their football. Wenger has not been ashamed of admitting that he has always tried to play the Barcelona way. Guardiola managed to win three league titles in a row in addition to the two Champions League titles as well.
Ahead of the match with Stoke city during the weekend, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that he would have liked to see Guardiola continue his job at the Camp Nou. Guardiola will be going out after having seen Real Madrid claim the title from Barcelona’s hands, while the club were also knocked out from the Champions League by Chelsea. This meant that Barcelona were unable to become the first club in the history of the Champions League to win back-to-back titles. Wenger praised the philosophy of Guardiola by saying that it is the model for other clubs to follow.
“It comes as a surprise to me because first of all when you make a decision after a big disappointment like he has had in the past week, it may not be the right moment to make this decision. The philosophy of Barcelona has to be bigger than winning or losing a championship. Guardiola is one of the representatives of this philosophy and made this philosophy triumph so I would have loved him, even going through a disappointing year, to stay and come back and insist with his philosophy,” said Wenger regarding Guardiola’s decision to step down as Barcelona manager.