Pep Confidential (8 page)

Whilst researching this book I had the chance to meet Metzelder over dinner in Dusseldorf in November 2013. That astonishing day was still fresh in his memory. ‘I think it was that day that Pep first used the false No.9. He put Eto’o on the right and Messi in the centre. Fabio [Cannavaro] and I looked at each other. ‘What do we do now? Do we follow him to the midfield or stay deep?’ We didn’t have a clue what to do and it was impossible to catch him.’

Barça’s historic win was a vital victory in the race for the title, but it also marked an unheralded period of glory and prestige.

The false 9 would go down in history as one of the more extraordinary of Guardiola’s innovations, not because he invented it but because he was able to redefine the position through an exceptional player like Messi. How then did Pep come to resuscitate the memory of this type of player?

It was the day before the match – a holiday Friday, May 1, 2009. Guardiola had stayed at the stadium to study his opponents. This was a well-established routine for him, which he continues today at Bayern. He spends two days analysing the team they are about to face, looking for strengths and weaknesses. He reviews entire matches as well as sections of the videos his assistants have picked out for him. Domènec Torrent and Carles Planchart, who are now at Bayern, provided this kind of information for him back then, too.

The day before the game, he shuts himself in his office, puts on some gentle music and thinks about his approach to the match. Where should they attack their opponents? What is the best way to dominate? He is seeking inspiration; inspiration which comes only now and again. Pep put it into words in Barcelona in September 2011, when he was awarded the Generalitat de Cataluña’s gold medal.

‘Before every match I lock myself up in an office I’ve set up myself. I sit down with pen and paper and watch two or three videos. I take lots of notes. That’s when that flash of inspiration comes – the moment that makes sense of my profession. The instant I know, for sure, that I’ve got it. I know how to win the match. It only lasts for about a minute, maybe 80 seconds, but it’s the moment that my job becomes truly meaningful to me.’

When he talked about this moment of magic he was probably thinking back to May 1, 2009. To that wonderful moment when he showed the whole world that he had found a new way to beat Real Madrid, who at that point were on a 17-game unbeaten run. Having watched a previous match between the two great teams, Pep noticed how much pressure the Madrid midfielders Guti, Fernando Gago and Royston Drenthe put on his own players, Xavi and Yaya Touré. He also noticed the tendency of the central defenders, Cannavaro and Metzelder, to hang back near Iker Casillas’ goalmouth. This left a vast expanse of space between them and the Madrid midfielders – a vast, empty space.

It was 10pm and Pep was alone in his office. Everyone else, including his assistants, had gone home. He sat in that dimly lit room imagining Messi moving freely across that enormous empty space in the Bernabéu, having shaken off the Madrid midfielders. He saw him face-to-face with Metzelder and Cannavaro, the two players frozen on the edge of the box, unsure whether or not to chase the Argentine. The image was crystal clear and he picked up the phone. He wasn’t calling his advisors, or even Xavi, the brains of his team. Instead, Guardiola dialled Messi’s number.

‘Leo, it’s Pep. I’ve just seen something important. Really important. Why don’t you come over. Now, please.’

At 10.30pm there is a gentle knock at Pep’s office door and a 21-year-old Leo Messi comes in. The coach shows him the video, pausing it to point out the empty space. He wants his player to make that space his own. From now on it will be ‘the Messi zone’.

‘Tomorrow in Madrid I want you to start on the wing as usual, but the minute I give you a sign I want you to move away from the midfielders and into the space I just showed you. It’s the same thing we did last September in Gijón.’

In Gijón, on September 21, 2008, in trouble after having lost their first league match against Numancia and drawn the second against a weak Racing de Santander, Guardiola’s future as Barça coach hung in the balance. He decided to send Eto’o to the right wing and play Messi in the space between midfield and defence, as a false 9, just as the young Argentine has done many times in the youth teams. It was a resounding victory for Barça (6-1) and marked the start of Pep’s dominance in European football. Now, seven months later, the coach explains his ideas to the player who will implement the strategy again.

‘The minute Xavi or Andrés [Iniesta] break between the lines and give you the ball I want you to head straight for Casillas’ goal.’

It was a secret between the two. Nobody else would know about the plans until Pep explained to Tito Vilanova the following day in the team hotel. Just minutes before kick-off on May 2, Guardiola took Xavi and Iniesta to one side and told them.

‘When you see Leo in the space between the lines down the middle, don’t hesitate. Give him the ball. Like we did in Gijón.’

That day in May 2009, the strategy worked perfectly and Barça destroyed Real Madrid, winning by six goals to two. Messi had become a false No.9 and Pep was happy. From that day to this, Guardiola has stuck to this system. Today it’s the debut of his Munich false 9, Franck Ribéry.

Pep took the time to explain his idea during their first training session in the Allianz Arena, but the Frenchman still hasn’t quite got it. Having learned his trade on the streets of his home town, all Ribéry’s instincts tell him to get the ball on the wing, make a dribbling run and get it to the box before passing it for an assist. It’s tough for him to understand that he can take a qualitative leap forward as a footballer if he quits the wing and plays in the middle; if he drops a bit deeper, gets the ball in space, behind the defensive midfielders, and runs at the central defenders in search of a goal.

Guardiola believes that he has three or four players in the squad who could adapt to play as a false 9: Mario Götze, Ribéry, Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller. He has made a start with the Frenchman, although so far it’s not working particularly well.

Ribéry starts off on the inside and plays well alongside Kroos, Weiser and Weihrauch. However, gradually he drifts towards the left wing, his natural habitat, where he feels most comfortable, even though the white line hems him in. Guardiola lets him be, for the time being. But the coach won’t forget his plans.

Everyone enjoys the party at Weiden in der Oberpfalz, despite the huge goal difference, or perhaps because of it. The Bayern fans have seen their star players up close – these treble winners who have now been joined by that apparently invincible coach, Pep Guardiola. However, whilst the fans make the most of this opportunity to see their idols, the coach leaves the pitch lost in thought. Højbjerg and the lone midfielder; Kroos and the rhythm of the team; Ribéry and the false No.9.

There is a lot to think about.

7

‘DO YOU SEE LAHM’S POTENTIAL?’

Regen, June 30, 2013

IT IS STILL four days before Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season training starts and Bayern are already contesting their second friendly. This time they are up against TSV Regen.

A table overflowing with buns, pastries and drinks awaits them in the dressing room and a few of the players immediately tuck into the chocolate tarts. This is the second match in a row they have been treated to a similar spread and Guardiola is taken aback. With an hour-and-a-quarter left before kick-off he takes a minute to ask Kathleen Krüger, the team manager, why both TSV Regen and Weiden in der Oberpfalz felt it was appropriate to provide his players with pastries and she reassures him that it was Bayern themselves who originally established the custom.

Regen is near the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, an hour-and-a-half from Munich. The local team, TSV, plays in the German seventh division and was founded in 1888. This game will mark the club’s 125th anniversary. Seven thousand spectators are crammed into the tiny stand and they applaud wildly when Daniel Kopp opens the scoring for the home side with the first goal of the game. It is a sunny day and Guardiola has chosen a line-up that is reminiscent of the teams he fielded during his final days as Barça coach. He has gone for a 3-4-3 formation, with Emre Can, Jérôme Boateng and Diego Contento as the only defenders. The Catalan journalist Isaac Lluch, who will cover Pep’s entire first season at Bayern, highlights this in his match report for the newspaper
Ara
: ‘With this 3-4-3 Guardiola brings the German champions to quench their thirst at the Cruyffist fountain he carries within.’

As a player, Guardiola was well used to the 3-4-3 formation that Cruyff employed so successfully during his time in charge of Barça. Later as coach, the same formation would help Pep find a way to integrate Cesc Fàbregas into his line-up after the player’s return to Barcelona. Playing with three defenders can be a high-risk option, but Pep’s insistence on tactical precision meant that his team could use it time and again with outstanding results. One of the most memorable moments came during a Real Madrid game in the Bernabéu when Jose Mourinho’s team took the lead after only 27 seconds with a goal from Karim Benzema. In response, Guardiola, who had started with a 4-3-3 formation, took just 10 minutes to reorganise his team into a 3-4-3 which, in the end, resulted in a 3-1 victory for Barcelona.

This is the formation he opts for in the first half of today’s game in Regen. His objectives at this stage of the pre-season are simple. He wants to try things out and watch his players’ reactions. He wants a deeper understanding of their capabilities. His own analysis will be much more penetrating than a superficial scouting exercise. He wants to test their limits.

One of the common misconceptions about Pep’s time as Barça coach was that he planned to duplicate every position in his team, giving him two right-backs, two left-backs, two centre-forwards and so on. In fact, he wants footballers who can play in at least two, if not three positions. He is looking for men with the talent and flexibility to play as central defenders, defensive midfielders or central midfielders. Players like Sergio Busquets. Or as central defenders, full-backs on either side and midfielders, like Javier Mascherano.

Ultimately, Pep would prefer a much smaller squad. His ideal would be no more than 20 players in total with each player, except for certain key posts like the goalkeepers, excelling in three different positions. Guardiola knows that he already has players in the squad who fit the bill. Javi Martínez, for example, has shown at both Athletic Bilbao and Bayern that he is equally comfortable as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder or a central defender.

But Pep wants more. He wants to find out exactly how far he can push each of his players. Right now, during this pre-season period, before his men face any serious competition, he has the perfect opportunity to do exactly that. And this is why he has started training so early.

Ribéry may have been the hero of Weiden, but here in Regen it is Philipp Lahm who steals the show. Isaac Lluch writes: ‘The evergreen captain of Bayern and Germany approached the game with determination and resolve and, in his position in midfield, breathed new life into the game with his attacking flair. His was the main innovation of the day.’ Today Lahm has played in the
pivote
position, a role until recently occupied by Højbjerg.

Bayern win their second friendly game 9-1. On the way home, Guardiola tells Sammer that they need a nutritionist. He doesn’t want any more pastries. For Pep, the players’ diets, and in particular their post-match nutrition, are a vital component of their professional life and need to be closely controlled. His requirements are far from radical, but they are demanding.

Sammer wastes no time in carrying out Pep’s wishes and, within a week, leading nutritionist Mona Nemmer will join the Munich expedition to Trentino. There will be no more buns for Bayern.

On the same bus journey home, Pep’s mind is wandering. He’s thinking about Lahm. The conversation between Guardiola and Domènec Torrent, his assistant coach who is sitting beside him, lasts the whole journey. It focuses on one subject.

‘Do you see Lahm’s potential? Have you seen how well he anticipates the next pass? Have you seen how he turns and protects the ball? He can play on the wing or in the middle of the field.’

It is clear that he has just made one of the season’s biggest discoveries.

8

‘THIAGO’S COMING.’

Arco, July 6, 2013

HALF THE POPULATION of Europe seems to descend on the airports and roads. The sheer volume of tourists catches me unawares. I had forgotten that it is already the first weekend in July, the start of the holiday season. To add to my woes, I take the wrong route. Instead of driving up the eastern shore of Lake Garda, I opt for the western side. It is a lovely journey through pretty little villages ablaze with colourful flowers, but the speed limit is 40 kilometres an hour as I drive through Salò, Boglisco, Gargano, Campione and Limone sul Garda. It takes me a while to reach Trentino.

For the fourth consecutive year, Bayern have come to this part of northern Italy for their pre-season training. The Munich club is a big draw and the regional authorities are happy to pay a significant amount of money, as well as subsistence costs, to guarantee the team’s presence here. I can vouch for the club’s pulling power. Trentino is bursting at the seams, and not just with German tourists. Guardiola and his men attract crowds.

I’ve come along too because, with the initial period of intense work in Munich behind him, Pep has promised to have a coffee with me so that we can talk about this book. In Trentino things are a bit calmer and he has some time to spare.

My arrival at Bayern’s training camp in Arco brings two surprises. The first is that Saturday’s session will be closed. There will be no access for the public or the media. During his four years as Barça coach, Guardiola insisted on closed training sessions and it was perhaps to be expected that that he might take the same approach at Bayern.