Vilanova signs two-year contract at Camp Nou
Last Updated: June 15, 2012 6:00pm
Tito Vilanova: Not scared of comparisons to former boss Pep Guardiola
Sky Bet
New Barcelona head coach Tito Vilanova insists he does not want to be compared to former boss Pep Guardiola.
The 42-year-old signed a two-year contract at the Camp Nou that ties him to the Catalan giants until the summer of 2014.
In just four years in charge Guardiola led Barca to an unprecedented period of dominance with 14 trophies, including three Primera Division crowns, two Champions League titles and two Copa del Reys.
And now Guardiola's former assistant faces the daunting task of replacing the hugely successful and popular Barcelona
legend as first-team coach.
legend as first-team coach.Not frightened
"I'm not scared of there being comparisons between his Barca and mine. I'm going to lose all of those comparisons, I know that. But I've not come here to be compared to him, I've come here to do my job," Vilanova said.
"I've been very fortunate to have won all those titles in four years. We're going to have the opportunity to repeat that, but it's going to be very difficult.
"We know the difficulty that we have, but we want to win every game.
"We will not give any game or any title up for lost. We will try to win everything."
In appointing Vilanova rather than looking outside the club for a new coach, Barca are aiming to remain faithful to the style of play that has served them so well in recent years.
On what is likely to change under his tenure, Vilanova said: "Pep and I worked closely together and we made many of the decisions together. Therefore, I'm not now going to try and change just to differentiate myself."
Guardiola revealed in April that he would be stepping down this summer and would be taking some time away from the game to "recharge his batteries".
Transfers
Barca looked a little thin in attack at stages last season with the likes of David Villa, Pedro Rodriguez and Alexis Sanchez all being sidelined for varying periods through injury, but Vilanova said the club's main focus was looking at strengthening the defence.
Pedro Rodriguez and Alexis Sanchez all being sidelined for varying periods through injury, but Vilanova said the club's main focus was looking at strengthening the defence.
"It's true that we want to bring in defensive reinforcements, we've had problems there and we've had to adapt players," he said.
"We want a left-back and a centre-back. Up front we don't expect to bring in anybody else. This year Villa, Alexis and Pedro have suffered injuries, but next season we hope that will be okay. We also have Cristian Tello and Isaac Cuenca."
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