FC BARCELONA | VILANOVA - PIQUE DRESSING ROOM SPLIT | THE CLAN OF 1987

If you thought that the dressing room of Real Madrid is a ticking bomb with Mourinho vs Iker Casillas, Pepe & Ronaldo, FC Barcelona has its own internal bomb waiting to explode. According to Barcelona based journalist Carles Fité there is a split in the dressing room between Defender Gerard Pique & Coach Vilanova which has its cause in decisions which concern Cesc Fabregas & as always in these cases the important loses in Spanish Cup & Champions League matches. 

It seems Gerard Pique questions the capacity of Tito Vilanova as Coach of FC Barcelona & suggests that it maybe time to find alternatives. Lets get into the context.

Soccer Spain 2013

There exists in the Barça dressing room "the clan of 1987", Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas & Lionel Messi, which began together at Barça in the junior levels. The bonds are very strong both in the personal & professional life.

The match AC Milan - Barça ( 2 - 0 to Milan ) & Spanish Cup Barça vs Real Madrid loss sees Cesc Fabregas substituted & pointed out by Coach Vilanova as a main cause in the losses. Later Cesc would spend time on the bench as a consequence. Cesc Fabragas upset & feeling he is a "scapegoat" questions his Coach & Pique intervenes in front of the whole Barça squad to defend his friend & seriously question the "abilities" of Vilanova as Barça Coach. This obviously stays in the dressing room until last week.


After the FC Barcelona Champions League elimination by Bayern Munich at Camp Nou, Pique in a TV interview makes the suggestion the "some difficult decisions will need to be made". This makes everyone think that he is referring to players. However on Saturday Coach Vilanova comments that "perhaps the players who made that comment does not realise he maybe one of those players"

Now with the suggestions of the Catalan journalist Carles Fité we have a new light & interpretation to what this is all about. The journalist in question adds that the players that lead the dressing room are the "the clan of 1987" with Puyol & Xavi Hernandez relegated due to their own physical ( injury ) problems etc.  The interpretation is now that Pique - leading the dressing room - calls for the exit of Coach Vilanova - who they consider not up to the standards of FC Barcelona.

This if true, it was all seen by ex-Coach Pep Guardiola. One of the main reasons that Guardiola left Barcelona was because he called for the exits of Pique, Cesc Fabregas & Dani Alves, to which the Club Direction refused to consider. The ex-Coach saw back then warning signs that these players were "difficult". Now it seems Vilanova has found out why this is so. 

Gerard Pique is a difficult case in that his family - grandfather & father - are influential Barça members ( ex Directives ) & integrated into the Catalan society in influential positions. He is seen as a symbol of "Catalan" & Barça values & is a "tough nut" to crack. The current Barça Directive team under President Rosell does not wish to rock the "political boat" & this gives Pique "strength" at the Club.  

In conclusion, the ground is set for an internal power struggle that we will need to see the results. The referee will be "the Club wins", victories keeps the "shit" clean of smell, while loses - serious losses - brings it all out in the public eye & in nearly 98% of the cases the Coach will lose. Something similar is occurring at Real Madrid with Jose Mourinho.

Stay tuned. 

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