BARCELONA — Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova may have finished his cancer treatment in New York and be back with the squad by the end of March, president Sandro Rosell said Monday. Vilanova, 44, needed a second round of surgery in December following an operation to remove a tumor from his saliva glands in November 2011 and his assistant Jordi Roura has taken charge until he is well enough to return. Although it is still 11 points clear at the top of La Liga, Barca has stuttered in recent weeks - losing 2-0 at AC Milan in last month's Champions League last 16, first leg and going down twice to arch-rival Real Madrid last week. Rosell said the coach was midway through a course of chemo- and radiotherapy and when he visited him in New York last week was “in very good spirits” and “very involved in the day to day activities of the club”. “There is no doubt that a group gets weaker when they lose their leader,” Rosell told a news conference following a routine meeting of the Catalan club's board of directors. “The other day he told me he was happy because he could start the countdown as he is over half of the process and he has less than 50 percent of it left.” Some media reports in Spain have suggested Barca was considering bringing in a temporary replacement coach but an emotional Rosell categorically ruled it out. “The absolute priority of the club this season is for Tito Vilanova to get his health back and everything else is of secondary importance,” he said. — Reuters
