Messi (67 page)

But if Leo now had the ball, as it were, what was to be done about
Samuel Eto’o? While Messi was taking Beijing by storm and having heard what ‘the Flea’ thought of him, Pep Guardiola and Txiki Beguiristain decided one morning that the Cameroonian was going to stay at the club: his attitude was admirable. Although they suspected that Eto’o wanted to be the boss, he seemed to have accepted the Argentinian’s lead. Furthermore, Leo and the senior players felt comfortable with him and he was one of the greatest goalscorers in the world. If he played in the Champions League qualifier, he would be cup-tied and so could no longer be sold, so at breakfast on the morning of the first leg against Wisła it was decided that he would start and they duly informed Eto’o and president Juan Laporta. ‘Awesome,’ thought Leo, conscious of his role, and, back in Barcelona with his gold medal, he endorsed Pep’s decision to the press.

Intelligence is measured by the ability to recognise and adapt to new opportunities. Seizing and making the most of them is the mark of bravery and ambition. Leo showed that he had all these qualities during a trying summer. He also revealed a more complex side to his nature: he has a clear idea of his path and demands that his trajectory be followed, and the presiding coach, in order to get the best out of him, must know how to manage him.

Pep only had a few days before the start of the season to get his ideas across while trying to find the right equilibrium for the squad. From the start, winning would be vital in order to put in place the first few bricks of the building he was constructing.

Guardiola took advantage of Messi’s absence to reflect on his relationship with ‘the Flea’, and he realised there was a particular way of handling him: you could not meet him head-on, the train-crash approach was not to be recommended. Pep blended tactical discussions alone with Messi in his office with indirect instructions in front of the group: ‘Today the forwards are going to press high up, because Leo is going to do it, too, and we cannot leave him on his own.’ So he was ordering Messi without exactly doing that. Yes, he was going to be treated differently, with respect, because the player felt more encouraged that way.

After the initial reservations, Leo would enjoy the sessions that always involved ballwork. Pep knew that players got bored with tactical meetings. That is why, when he sat them down, his speeches were short and sweet.

‘I remember pre-season was full of little details and tactical adjustments,’ explains Eidur Gudjohnsen. ‘He would not bore us because he would very intelligently mix the tactical part with games, challenges and explanations. He would leave us in peace while we implemented what he would ask of us, but suddenly he would demand that we concentrate on two or three details that he had prepared for that particular day. He wanted us to end up doing those things subconsciously and that is why the first sessions were somewhat repetitive: about the positions we had to take up, or, if the opponents had the ball, how the attackers had to press … lots of little things. Suddenly, after two or three weeks, he no longer had to shout, we knew instinctively what was expected of us.’

He would sometimes ask Leo, as he did other important players, what he thought of the last session, how he felt. But he needed to do it less and less: Messi understood what was being asked of him and would smile. He was clearly ready for the upcoming season.

‘That pre-season was spectacular, really spectacular,’ says Txiki Beguiristain. ‘They were all ten out of tens, in intensity, desire, commitment, explanations, details. It was a bloody brilliant pre-season.’

And then Barcelona lost their first league match against lowly Numancia.

2. MATCH AGAINST SPORTING GIJÓN AFTER ONE POINT FROM SIX

Barcelona’s loss against Numancia 1–0 did not reflect the Catalan team’s dominance or their persistent pressure. ‘We were going through a transitional period, a bit like the one I experienced with José Mourinho at Chelsea,’ remembers Eidur Gudjohnsen. ‘The foundations were there, the quality was tangible, the house just had to be rebuilt. And we lost the first game against one of the smallest teams. Guardiola was furious. He told us that we had forgotten everything we had done pre-season and had disappointed him. Leo was staring at the floor, he knew that he was right.’

Leo Messi, on the wing with Eto’o in the centre and Henry on the left of the attack, hit the post.

As Luis Martín wrote in
El País
, ‘the Flea’ and Barcelona were certainly missing ‘a pinch of salt and a few minutes’ cooking time’. But as well as the positional errors and the result, something else annoyed Pep. Samuel Eto’o, following on from previous seasons, had called a meeting with the players before the game and left Guardiola and the entire technical team outside the dressing room. He gave a team talk, a clear threat to the authority of the coach who anyway was suspicious of the Cameroonian’s apparent acquiescence.
The squad’s willingness to adapt to new leadership was going to lead to a bumpy ride.

While new rules were established, Leo distanced himself from everything and everyone; he was, as one player who saw him up close, states, ‘waiting to see what unfolded’.

After the defeat by Numancia, players joined their national teams and, following that, Messi – having just returned from Buenos Aires – was left on the bench until the last half-hour against Racing Santander at the Camp Nou so he would be fresh for the Sporting Lisbon match four days later. But Barcelona could only draw – one point out of six in the league.

‘There was uncertainty, people were nervous,’ remembers Silvinho. ‘They would say: “well, what is this new Barcelona doing, and what is Guardiola doing to Barcelona? He is not right for the first team, he isn’t tough enough.” But from the inside, working there, I knew we had chosen the right path.’

Barcelona travelled to Gijón with a certain amount of apprehension.

Gerard Autet, former Barcelona youth player, was making his league debut for Sporting that day. At the age of 30. A dream come true for the centre-back, a mere detail in the context of the game. Sporting were aware of the pressure on Barcelona and tried to take advantage of it. Autet and the other centre-back and the full-back tried to come up with a plan to stop Messi: we will have to try to put two men on him and keep an eye open to give support. But Barcelona
were on fire from the start of the match, especially Iniesta on the left wing, and Leo, who was everywhere up front. It was impossible to keep two men on him; when he received the ball he would turn and face the opposition without the defenders having had much time to react. Autet and Messi had crossed paths on a couple of occasions in the first half, but, with the score 3–1, a long but imprecise goal kick by the Sporting goalkeeper ended up at Messi’s feet. He was facing the debutant centre-back. An ominous one on one for the defender.

Autet had thought about just such a moment. What to do? He came to an interesting conclusion: it is Messi, therefore you have to accept the challenge with as much focus as possible, but also without extra pressure as the normal outcome would be for Leo to go past him. Problem is at 3–1 down, Sporting still had a chance. As is so often the case, the theory for such a moment was easier said than done. The foul Autet committed deserved a red card. And Barcelona were not in a forgiving mood.

That emphatic victory marked the point of no return for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. ‘We really started to click when we beat Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and then Gijón. Leo felt at ease, was enjoying himself,’ remembers Gerard Piqué. The criticism disappeared, Samuel Eto’o stopped playing leader off the pitch (he was not even captain) and he focused on linking up with Leo and giving the team depth. And Messi started to establish himself as the focal
point of the team, although at the time it was from the right wing. There was no let-up from the ever meticulous Pep, who stuck to his guns and asked him to perform a series of defensive duties, which he did – at least to begin with.