Page 80 - Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography

using the centre backs as creators of moves; he gave the team greater depth with the constant
incorporation of the wingers; he increased the rhythm of the movement off the ball; he worked
tirelessly on creating space via the constant movement of players; he developed the concepts of
numerical and positional superiority to the maximum level. He ultimately knew how to manage the

concepts of time and space with such ease and fluidity that many observers were under the impression
that what the team was doing was easy, when, in reality, there is nothing more difficult in the modern
game.

‘Discover constantly where the free man is and through passing, passing, passing, work the ball into forward positions.’

The high technical quality of Barcelona’s players enabled them to make passes that other teams

simply could not even attempt; Xavi, Iniesta, Messi could receive the ball and pass or move out of the
tightest of corners. But Guardiola revolutionised football because he used a Cruyff idea and made it a
method: always accumulate more players than your rival right from the start of a move to gain the
initiative. So, having three players near the ball if the other team have two, or four players if they
have three. This formula of numerical superiority doesn’t guarantee anything, because in the end
everything depends on the ability, precision and concentration of the ‘artists’, taking advantage of

space and making the right decisions, but there will always be an unmarked player and, therefore, a
safe ‘pass line’ that can be used. In this way, football becomes a sport with a ball and spaces.
As time went on, Pep’s first-team squad was increasingly in a position to go out on to the pitch
with a clear idea of what the game was going to be like, the characteristics of the rivals both
individually and as a group, and what had to be done to beat them. Yet within that meticulous
preparation there co-existed a high degree of expression, always bearing in mind that this is football,
that players must think in tenths of a second and that there should be some freedom to show on the

pitch, to do things that weren’t planned off it.

‘The players need to know that they mustn’t be scared of trying, nor of losing the ball because that is what football is like. Messi
knows that he can always make moves because he knows that he has ten players behind him to help him out if necessary. When both
the defender and the forward feel important, we are with a winning team.’

‘He went through all the mechanisms that bring the game plan closer to the rival’s goal,’ explains
Martí Perarnau in his exceptional analysis of Barcelona, T h e Champion’s Path (Senda de
Campeones). ‘Xavi, Iniesta and Messi began that stage with the orders of staying close to the area.
Xavi didn’t sit very deep so his participation with Messi on the right, Eto’o in the middle and Iniesta
on the other side took place often. Little by little, the plan changed because one of the pillars of Pep’s

methods is based on the evolution of the process. Guardiola has never believed in absolute truths,
which gives him flexibility when it comes to interpreting life. So Xavi moved into a deeper position
with the intention of bringing back his direct opponent, distancing them from their centre backs and, in
that way, creating more space for Messi in the back of the midfield.’

‘To avoid losing the ball and being caught on the counter-attack, the concept of the “third man” is useful: throw the ball long and in
front of him in a wide area. You avoid risks. Cruyff used to tell me, “when you have the ball, the first thing you have to do is look who is
further away from you. He probably has some space in front of him. Normally play to the man closer to you or available, but if the first
thing you can do is to play long, play long. That way you avoid counter-attacks.”’

Barcelona willingly took the risk of allowing too much free space at the back of the defence and
counteracted it with careful passing, attention in the marking and pressure. Guardiola included a
deep-lying midfield player who relieved the pressure on the defence; providing an outlet in
possession and protection for the centre backs when defending, particularly if the back line is