Guardiola suffered at Barcelona because of Messi. Such was the price to pay for trophies
August kicked off with the release of a new documentary entitled Together: Champions Again! In it, the legendary Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola revealed the details of his relationship with football star Lionel Messi. He also talked about how working with the sports legend has influenced his career. According to Guardiola, Messi has a “flair for goals” and also “he’s hungry as hell for wins”.
Relationship history
The partnership between Guardiola and Messi ended more than a decade ago. Nevertheless, the Argentine star is still a true idol for his former coach. He still speaks warmly of him and blames Lionel for the meteoric rise of his coaching career.
The interplay between the football legends was built on the development of quality strategies by one and their implementation on the pitch by the other. Despite the expressiveness of their communication (as noted by other members of the club), they could understand each other at a glance. They also shared a passion for multiple victories. In essence, this turned Barcelona into a championship machine, sweeping away the trophies.
That period was a stellar one for the club. Xavi, Iniesta, Pique and many other real professionals were in attendance. Messi rounded out the brilliant squad. Without him, the club could have won many victories, but with Leo the club managed to win many more trophies. He acted as the driving force and chief ‘hunter’ for Barça.
According to Guardiola, Messi became his entire career. He has been an incentive for personal improvement. To have such a player in his team is not just an honour and a cause for coaching pride. His interaction with other top players and real teamwork worked wonders.
Tactical peculiarities and difficulties in communication
Despite creating the perfect ‘chemistry on the pitch’, it was not easy for Guardiola to interact with Leo outside the stadium. The footballer has a rather capricious temperament, and on top of that he has a taste for fast food. On numerous occasions, the coach had to control Leo’s diet, as his form depended on it.
However, Pep still let Messi down a lot. Moreover, at the start he sometimes ingratiated himself to him. Naturally, Leo quickly sensed this and took advantage of the situation. A demonstration of how difficult it was for the coach to curb the “fast food fan” was the story that happened when Guardiola first became the new coach of Barça.
Before the match against Valencia, the players were eating in the club canteen. The merry atmosphere was interrupted by the shout of Messi, who became indignant at the absence of his favourite cola on the table. He was told that the coach had imposed a ban on such products. As a result, Leo got his hands on the desired drink, which he drank all while standing in front of Guardiola. He then threw the can into the bin and left.
An adequate relationship was established after Guardiola got in touch with the Argentine coach. The latter had more experience with Messi and they got on better. It was he who advised Guardiola to “build the game around him”. That dialogue was the start of the winning era of the Barcelona star.
