The Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola bowed out of La Liga by insisting: life goes on. Guardiola's last league game in charge of the Catalan side following a four-year spell in which the club have won three league titles and two Champions League crowns ended in a 2-2 draw at Real Betis last night.
"La Liga existed before I came and it will continue to exist without me," said Guardiola, whose final game in charge will be the Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on 25 May.
Barça's Dani Alves was sent off against Betis and the Brazilian full-back has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou. But Guardiola feels the club need to keep hold of him, adding: "Questions on a player's future don't depend on me, but from my point of view, Alves is irreplaceable. He's been fundamental for Barça."
The goalkeeper Victor Valdés is confident the team will be back to their best next year under their new manager Tito Vilanova after a season in which they have lost their league and Champions League crowns.
He said: "We hope to win the cup. This season two important titles have slipped away, but we'll be back as strong as ever next year."
The defender Carles Puyol can continue to play an important role for Barça next term after undergoing knee surgery on Saturday, according to the doctors who performed the operation. The Spain international had an "arthroscopic procedure to clean up joint tissue in his right knee" and will be out for six weeks, the club confirmed, ruling him out of Euro 2012.
His doctor Ricard Pruna said: "Puyol's objective is to be in optimal condition for the pre-season."
Doctor Ramon Cugat added: "If everything goes well, we'll have Carles Puyol for many years."
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