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Barcelona - Pep Guardiola is contemplating his future as Barcelona coach after a 2-2 draw against Chelsea Tuesday kept the Champions League holders out of the final.
Guardiola has guided Barcelona to 13 trophies in 16 competitions but the team's exit from the Champions League coincides with a loss to Real Madrid that left it unlikely of winning a fourth straight Spanish league title.
"In the next days I will decide if I continue or not," Guardiola said after Chelsea advanced from the semi-final 3-2 on aggregate. He said that he first had to weigh up the situation with assistant Tito Vilanova and president Sandro Rosell. "We'll talk about everything, about the situation and the we'll take a decision because right now, it's evident that it's time to."
While Barcelona has won the Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup this season and is considered one of the best teams ever, likely all that is left at stake at the end of the season is the Copa del Rey final next month. A 2-1 loss to Madrid on Saturday saw Barcelona drop seven points behind with four games to play as its bid for a fourth straight domestic title dims.
"I don't even know what I feel right now. I try to figure out what to say when looking at the team, about what we did wrong to not reach the final and I can't think of anything," Guardiola said. "From opening day I've transmitted this crazy theme of 'you have to go out and attack, attack, attack' and there are moments when we don't know when to pause. Maybe it's a lesson to learn for the future. We have to find the way to attack better."
Rosell said Tuesday's result - which kept Barcelona from reaching its third final in four years - would bear no weight on the club's commitment to Guardiola.
"We remain confident he will agree to a new deal and stay," Rosell said.
