FC Barcelona goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto spoke at a press conference on Monday, where a number of questions centered around the coaching change that will take place at the end of this season. The player began by saying, “I completely understand what Guardiola has done. He takes everything very seriously and that takes a big toll mentally. I will not discover anything new about Tito, we all know him. You can’t compare them, but Tito has the character and strength, as well as our full backing.” Asked about possible changes after Guardiola’s departure, Pinto replied: “I don’t think much will change because the two of them share the same vision. We are all relaxed about it and we are right behind Tito and his way of looking at football.”

Responding to the recent comments about this being the end of an era at FC Barcelona, Pinto underlined that such comments are like “talking about the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar”. Pinto has made it clear that “only time will tell. What Guardiola has managed to achieve is hard to beat because of the style in which he accomplished this, being an example to the world of football. Regardless of titles, that’s what we want to keep,” he added. The blaugrana goalkeeper did admit that: “all of us have been affected by the news and we’ve all felt bad about it.”

Asked about playing in the Copa del Rey final, Pinto said, “I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me if I will play. The coach has not said anything and this is a question for him.”

The keeper also believes that Messi can win the Pichichi award as the league’s highest scorer this season: “I want Messi to win –if he wins, the whole team wins. If he scores, it’s down to the work the whole team have put in.” Pinto also had words of praise for his teammate Víctor Valdés, who is the guaranteed winner of the Zamora trophy as the keeper who’s conceded the least goals if he plays no more league games this season: “he is the keeper who most deserves it.”

Source: fcbarcelona.cat, Mundo Deportivo; Picture credit: Pere Punti – MD