Former Espanyol manager fires shots at Barcelona – ‘They say Barça is more than a club – what does that mean?’ | OneFootball

Barcelona’s history is strongly linked with the passionate Catalan movement in Spain, and the club, to this day, remains a vocal supporter of the Catalan province.

The massive rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, in fact, also boils down to the political differences between the two clubs, and it remains one of the historic roots for the same.

Espanyol, as Barcelona’s neighbours in Catalonia, are more aligned to the Spanish identity and thus represent a section that, despite being Catalan, prefer a pro-Spanish sentiment – thus the great divide between the fanbases.

Pochettino’s harsh words

Speaking to the media in a recent interview earlier this week, former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino opened up on the topic of Barcelona and Espanyol’s rivalry and made a highly controversial statement about the Blaugrana.

“I think that Espanyol is a much more independent club and much more Catalan than Barcelona,” he said.

The former Espanyol player and manager did not stop there and went on to hit out at Barcelona’s slogan ‘More than a club.’

Pochettino has no love for Barcelona. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

“I always try to explain it, and no one should be offended. They say that Barça is more than a club – what does that mean? That children should be indoctrinated in certain ideas?” he questioned at the slogan that implies that the club stands for much more than just football, but a cultural identity.

“I think Barcelona is wrong about that. Every football team has its culture, and Barça is a great club, but I do not share what they want to make me buy or want to sell to people,” he added in his revolt against Barcelona.

Finally, Pochettino was asked if he stood by his word that he would prefer farming in Argentina over coaching Barcelona, to which he said,

“The phrase I’m going to my farm in Argentina to work before coaching Barcelona? It’s still good, isn’t it? My identification with Espanyol is total,” he said.

He went on to add strongly that it would not be an option for him under any circumstances.

“People always say to me, ‘We’ll see, if one day Barça offers you the job, we’ll see what you say.’ I can tell you that I would not coach Barcelona.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo