Page 70 - Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography

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THE BEGINNINGS

The gift of opportunity – you either have it or you don’t. And Guardiola’s appointment had it. It had
been a hard few years for the Catalans. The debate over the new Catalan Constitution, that demanded

more independence from central government, exposed the lack of enthusiasm the rest of the country
had in understanding the Catalans’ need to differentiate themselves from the rest of Spain. Rijkaard’s
Barcelona was suffering an unstoppable decline into decadence, the dressing room lacking discipline
and team spirit. The star of the team, Ronaldinho, had lost his status as the most exciting player on the
planet. The president, Joan Laporta, facing a motion of censure, had only just survived in office.
Catalan self-esteem was at its lowest ebb for decades.

At that point Pep Guardiola was appointed first team coach of FC Barcelona.
Pep lacked the complete support of the Barcelona fanbase. Some of those who did back him felt
that his status would at least make the wins sweeter and the defeats easier to swallow; after all, never
before had a ball boy from the Camp Nou progressed through the youth ranks, captained the first team
and then returned to the club as coach. Pep understood the Barcelona mentality perfectly and he knew
what was being taught at La Masía. As well as a symbol of the club and a son of the Cruyff school of
thought, he represented a way of understanding football as an educative process. On many levels, it

was a match made in heaven.
On the day of his official presentation as coach of Barcelona, Guardiola made it very clear that he
knew what he had to do and, with his parents looking on, he outlined his project.
However, in the minds of the many onlookers – even his supporters – was the nagging doubt that,
after just twelve months in charge of a reserve side, his extremely limited experience as a coach was
inadequate preparation for the colossal task ahead; and there were many who suspected that his

appointment by Laporta was little more than a cynical ploy to boost the president’s popularity and an
attempt to exploit the club’s prodigal son as a shield against the growing criticism of his tenure. There
were also those who questioned whether Pep, as much as they had adored him as a player, was
simply too fragile, too sensitive and lacking in the strength of character required.
Pep was aware of the doubts, but he never asked for a honeymoon period, patience or time to make
mistakes: it was clear to him that he had to hit the ground running and get off to a winning start.
Guardiola knew as well as anybody the expectations that come with the territory at a big club, where

winning is an obligation, defeat always the fault of the coach.
‘I feel strong,’ announced Pep. ‘I’m ready to overcome this challenge and believe me: if I didn’t
feel that, I wouldn’t be here. It will be a tough journey, but I will persevere. The team will run, in
case you are worried about that. I will forgive them if they don’t grasp it at first – but I will not
forgive them for not trying. Absolutely not.

‘I am the leader, they follow me and we will achieve. They should follow me.