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Barca’s track record means Rubi the obvious call to replace Vilanova

| 20.07.2013

Barcelona have a track record of appointing their new manager from within and this is one of the reasons that Rubi may have been made favourite at 5/2 to be named as the next permanent boss after the resignation of Tito Vilanova.

Rubi has only recently joined the backroom team at the Nou Camp, but will take over the temporary reins after Vilanova’s decision to stand down to focus on treatment following the recurrence of his throat cancer.

Whoever steps in as big boots to fill, after Vilanova won the La Liga title with 100 points last season, which was orchestrated by securing victories in 13 of his opening 14 games.

Rubi also brings previous managerial experience from his time at Girona.

Barcelona president Sandro Rossell has indicated that he expects to have a new manager in place within seven days and this would be positive as it would be before the first-team return to begin their pre-season training.

This would indicate that he has a candidate in mind and given Vilanova’s past health issues, contingencies would have surely already been in place.

However, the timing of the decision is unlikely to suit Barcelona, as former B team boss Luis Enrique has only recently accepted an offer at Celta Vigo and fellow frontrunner Ernesto Valverde, who would arguably have been first choice under normal circumstances, has been appointed as the new head coach at Athletic Bilbao.

Therefore, it may be best to swerve Luis Enrique at 10/1 to be the next permanent Barcelona manager.

Following Rubi in the betting are two Premier League bosses, with Andre Villas-Boas at 7/2 and Michael Laudrup at 8/1.

Also at 8/1 is Manuel Bielsa, who is available after leaving Bilbao at the end of last season.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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Author

Craig Kemp

Craig has written for Ladbrokes since the 2010 World Cup, having previously gained a Media & Sports Journalism degree and contributed to publications including the Racing Post. His main areas of interest are horse racing and UFC, but he is also an avid X Factor gambler and likes nothing more than indulging in a spot of Hip Hop Karaoke.