1. Barca certainly improved under Pep; how much is down to him personally though will always be open to debate. In his time Messi matured to the level he is now, whilst you could argue that this was down to Pep, you could equally say that he got lucky that Messi lived up to the promise he showed earlier in his career and during Rijkaard's reign. Messi also stayed relatively uninjured during Guardiola's reign compared to Rijkaard's and was not the same level anyway. Inheriting the best player in the world, best midfield duo, and a host of other top players and then being able to attract the best players from other clubs puts Guardiola in a position where it is is difficult to know how much he contributed. Lets not forget they had won well under Rijkaard. 2. That would be interesting; it seems money is there to spend at last, however is it there for the wages that these top players demand and can get elsewhere? 3. I agree 2 pts off 4th is not too shabby; especially when you consider that you are in some ways under a rebuilding process! Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla, Mert, Arteta are all still relatively new players; couple this with a new assistant manager because of the loss of Rice and the loss of Van Persie and at any other club this would be considered not bad (aside from Chavs and City possibly!).
As an outsider looking in, I'm surprised by the criticism of Wenger from some. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of your club so go easy here, but I do think he has achieved as much as can be expected over the last few years. Is it really him not spending the money? He takes the heat from it for sure but I wonder how much is down to the stadium move and the power struggle between Usmanov and Kronke? Even now where it appears Kronke has won, I'm not convinced it isn't all part of forcing Usmanov away completely. Wenger never minded spending previously, but this sudden reluctance is unbelievably coincidental to your costly stadium move and power struggle. You have made some hefty profits over the windows over this period he is widely criticised for. I just think he is trying to stop boardroom politics and the struggle to compete financially for a short period (8 years or so is the grand scheme of things), from spilling over onto the fans and dressing room moral. As I say I'm no expert on your finances so I might have the wrong end of the stick. If the purse strings are now to be released as the stadium is paid off and the power struggle over, are you not better off giving the guy who knows the club inside out 2 or 3 windows to put it right. He loves the club and will always do what is right within the parameters he is set.
