Pep Guardiola has spoken of his decision to leave Barcelona, confirming the pressure of expectation became too much.
In an interview quoted by Super Deportes, Guardiola has repeated what he previously revealed – that he felt he could no longer motivate the Barca squad.
Guardiola added that the realisation came when Barca were beaten by Chelsea in the Champions League.
“There were many moments of sadness and that was one of them,” Guardiola told Autopista magazine.
“We were much better than our opponents but we conceded an unnecessary goal and before we knew it, we were out.
“It was a great loss to me. I thought I couldn’t go back and set up the team again.
“If you can no longer motivate the players, as a Coach, you know that the time has come to leave.”
The former midfielder went on to say that the success Barca enjoyed in his tenure eventually pushed him out the door.
“We were incredibly successful – 14 trophies in four years. But that can also weigh you down.
“I was having difficulty motivating myself as well as the team, having won everything as a player and a Coach. And the team was finding it increasingly difficult.
“The sabbatical year in New York was important to me, my family and to my old team.”
Guardiola also acknowledged that the first approach from Bayern Munich came long before he left Barca, in July 2011.
“In the Audi Cup I spoke to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness about my future.
“The challenge for me now is to work with a new team and continue the success of Jupp Heynckes.”
