In 2013, Thiago Alcantara opted to exercise a clause in his contract that entitled him to leave Barcelona if he had not played 60 percent of the Spanish club's games or more. Having failed to meet this number. Thiago was sold to Bayern last summer, but he has not found playing time much easier to come by at the Allianz Arena, either. The midfielder made only eight starts in a troubled debut campaign for Bayern last season, and was badly at fault in his new side's 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup last July. Unimpressed with his teams performance, Guardiola delivered a rollicking at half-time and sensationally slapped Alcantara in the face. It was one of a few ignominious moments for Thiago during his first 12 months in Germany, and his debut season was wrecked by a knee ligament tear in March.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
