Fabregas: Pep is Barca's best

Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2012 by ESPN

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has hailed outgoing coach Pep Guardiola as the best in the club's history ahead of his final game in charge of the Catalans.

Guardiola will leave Camp Nou in the summer after four trophy-laden years which yielded two Champions League crowns, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey trophy, three Supercopas, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.

And yet, there's still time to add one more trophy. The Spaniard's last game coaching Barca will be Friday's Copa del Rey final versus Athletic Bilbao.

"If there is something extra about this final, it is the possibility of winning the title for our coach, the possibility of him winning yet another title and leaving with his head held high," Fabregas told reporters on Tuesday.

"He will do that anyway because he is the best coach this club have ever had, without a doubt. It is not something we have spoken about as a group but we all know we want to dedicate it to him."

Guardiola has cited exhaustion as one of the key reasons behind his decision to leave his boyhood club but there has been a steady flow of speculation in the Spanish press that the coach no longer enjoyed a healthy relationship with some of his key players. This is something Barca defender Gerard Pique denies.

"His departure is traumatic for me," Pique said on the club's website.

"I feel a much better player thanks to him and the whole team has learned a lot.

"He'll leave a void, but we'll carry on with Tito and we'll do well. That's football, eras come to an end".

Guardiola's assistant, Tito Vilanova will be the club's new manager next season.