• Champions League

Defeat sees Guardiola consider his future

ESPNsoccernet staff
April 25, 2012
Barcelona were stunned by Chelsea © Getty Images
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Pep Guardiola has revealed he plans to make a decision on his Barcelona future in the coming days.

Barcelona have endured a hugely disappointing week, with the home defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday all but ending their hopes of winning the league and a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the Camp Nou on Tuesday resulting in their exit from the Champions League.

There could yet be further disappointment for the club's fans as Guardiola has yet to sign an extension to his current one-year deal, but he revealed after the Chelsea game that the matter is due to be cleared up one way or the other in the imminent future.

"I'll make a decision in the coming days," he said. "I'll talk with the president in the coming days and we'll decide what's the best for the club."

Guardiola suggested his team may have done more to secure victory on Tuesday but offered his congratulations to Chelsea.

"There is always something to criticise because we didn't get to the final," he said. "We can only congratulate Chelsea for their defensive work.

"We did all we could but we failed. We lost out at key moments and paid for it. Now we must recover and think about next year."

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo, meanwhile, was full of praise for Guardiola's side.

"Barcelona are the best team in the world," he said. "They are amazing. They have some of the best players in the world as well in their team.

"We obviously weren't the favourites, even after that first leg. We had all the difficulties that you could imagine in any football game tonight, particularly with the way Barcelona play, but we still managed to qualify. It's quite incredible."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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