Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova assured everybody in his first press conference after returning from the USA that he felt strong enough to complete the year he had left on his contract with the club. And the club, and specifically the president Sandro Rosell, expressed its desire for this to happen and for Tito to stay on as coach for a further season.

However, the club has been preparing a Plan B just in case the worst comes to the worst and the coach is not able to continue. Tito was in New York only a few days ago for a medical check-up and it won't be the last that he has to go through as he continues along the road to recovery from his cancer scare.

His doctors are due to discuss his health with him and confirm whether or not he is in good enough condition to start a new season. For that reason the club's directors have been in contact with various candidates to take over the team in the worst-case scenario. One example was the call made to Manuel Pellegrini to see if it was true that he was ready to take up an offer at Manchester City, and make it known to him that the job at Barcelona could still be an option.

Barcelona's intention is to continue with Tito, but the club has to be prepared for all eventualities and that is the reason for the precautionary plans. If Tito is well enough he will remain on the bench next season, but if that is not the case, another coach will need to be found.

Neither Sandro Rosell nor Andoni Zubizarreta want a repeat of the situation from this season where Tito was at one stage managing the club from a distance, while he received treatment, with the help of Jordi Roura. The squad suffered during that period and the proof of that was in the results.

Zubizarreta is planning to meet with Vilanova once competitive action is over for the season, to discuss the issue in more detail. Although it is a delicate situation, Rosell has already been through it once when Tito was in New York, and everybody is confident a solution will be found.

What is clear is that the club needs a coach who is 100 per cent and certain decisions made during matches have caused some concern within the club’s management.