Super Coach

Barcelona is surrounded by mountains and sea, and is the gateway to the Iberian Peninsula. It has a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. It does not have four distinct seasons like Madrid. Especially in winter and early spring, the rainfall is particularly heavy, but it rarely snows. .

Although the temperature in Barcelona rarely drops below zero in winter, it is still very cold, especially under the drizzle, which makes the whole city feel like wet clothes just pulled out of a drum washing machine, which is very uncomfortable.

Guardiola held an umbrella and walked out of the gate of La Masia. He looked back at the Camp Nou in the rain, then turned and walked north. He liked the feeling of walking in Barcelona. In his opinion, this It is the best way to visit Barcelona, ​​and only in this way can you appreciate the unique charm of this most beautiful city in Europe.

In the drizzle, it adds a bit of poetry to the city.

To the north of Camp Nou is the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and further north is the venue for the Barcelona Tennis Open, but Guardiola’s destination continues north.

It is surrounded by Barcelona's famous wealthy areas. There are closed mansions and villas on the left and right sides of the road, high walls, and trees that block all sight lines. Judging from the previous planning map, it is indeed well-proportioned, but when people walk in Inside, there was no feeling.

If he understood ancient Chinese poetry at this time, he would have said that he did not know the true face of Mount Lu just because he was in this mountain!

Following the road up the mountain to the north, we reached halfway up the mountain. We came to the gate of a closed villa and stopped.

The gate is no different from the gates of other mansions. It doesn't look much different. There is a doorbell on the small door next to it, and there is a surveillance camera facing here in the distance.

This is called the White House!

Not the White House where the President of the United States works, but the home of Cruyff, the godfather of Barcelona!

This name has been called by the outside world for many, many years, but few reporters would ask Cruyff: Why do you dare to call your home the White House?

His own explanation is that he likes the white decoration style and palace-like architecture, so it is called the White House. But is there a deeper meaning in it? neither knows!

But one thing Guardiola knows very well is that after Rijkaard took charge of Barcelona, ​​he came here almost every week, and after he took charge of Barcelona, ​​he also continued this tradition. The difference is... Rijkaard was driving and he chose to walk.

every time,

His hand that pressed the doorbell would unconsciously exert force, as if there was such a force that wanted to force him to retract the hand that pressed the doorbell. This made him have to work harder to complete such an easy action.

There was no doubt that it was Butch who opened the door.

It's a coincidence that you came here. In this crazy weather, his golf course is right at home! Butch said with a smile.

Holding an umbrella and walking into the mansion, the entrance is the garden. It looks like a two-and-a-half-story mansion. There is a large glass room specially opened on the first floor. Cruyff is waving his favorite Golf clubs, playing golf in a glass room.

Seeing his posture that is comparable to that of Tiger Woods, it is hard to imagine that even when he is playing golf, he is still thinking about football, but why he has never been willing to devote himself to coaching football. Woolen cloth?

At this time, Guardiola couldn't help but think of Yang Cheng's words in his mind: There is such a so-called detachment, which is to ask others to complete something that you cannot complete, or even impossible to complete!

Guardiola somewhat understands the embarrassment when Rijkaard was in office!

For all Barcelona coaches, Cruyff is equivalent to the president above their heads, and they are just the executors of Cruyff's tactical will!

Of course, this does not mean that they are obedient to Cruyff. This is precisely the smartest thing about the Dutch, because he will only pay attention to the overall situation, and the details and specific measures will be decided by the head coach himself, and he will give the team Suggestions came in the form of columns, interviews with reporters, or even a phone call to Laporta.

In the past few years, there has been one more thing, meeting once a week!

Here it comes, Josep! Walking into the glass room, Cruyff happened to swing a shot and hit the ball lightly. The ball seemed to be pulled by a line and fell into the hole not far away. The Netherlands The man clenched his fist and shouted, YES!

Sit! Cruyff pointed to the seat next to the glass room.

Guardiola sat down and felt strange. It was raining above his head and around him, but it was blocked by transparent glass. The feeling of being far and yet close made him unable to help but feel a little immersed in it.

How are you preparing for the game against Real Madrid? After handing the stick to Bacchi, Cruyff came to sit down next to Guardiola. He must admit that, judging from a person of his age, he Very well maintained.

Of course, if you play golf every day, write a column, and say a few words, you will have endless money to spend. Who doesn't expect such a comfortable life?

Almost! Guardiola was a little afraid of Cruyff.

This is a kind of awe that comes from seniority and seniority, because Cruyff was the most powerful king at Camp Nou at that time. He also personally promoted Guardiola from the youth team to the first team and gave him the first team title. With one chance to play, I witnessed with my own eyes the whole process of Guardiola's transformation from a young player to a team leader.

It can be said that everything in Guardiola's career comes directly from Cruyff's cultivation and trust. For this, it is difficult for Guardiola to say no to Cruyff.

This is why Cruyff recommended him!

Rijkaard is a loyal follower of Cruyff's football philosophy. It was Cruyff who blocked Scola's plan to take over Barcelona. This past summer, it was Cruyff who stopped him. Husband's move forced Barcelona to completely oppose the head coaches around the world regarding Mourinho's disc scandal.

At that time, the two people Cruyff recommended to Barcelona were Guardiola and Juan de Ramos.

Juan Ramos was once the head coach of Barcelona B team. During his time coaching Barcelona B team, he completely became Cruyff's most loyal believer. Every time he saw Cruyff, he would respectfully call him Teacher, and he has repeatedly admitted that his coaching philosophy comes directly from Cruyff.

Guardiola has never been Cruyff's first choice. The Dutchman's first choice was Juan de Ramos, but Laporta, for political purposes and to appease the fans and find a way out for future failures, chose one of the two. Guardiola was chosen.

Guardiola himself knows this very well, so he is always working hard to prove his ability to coach Barcelona and to work hard to get rid of the shadow of Cruyff, both of which require results!

You and Yang Cheng have no secrets left in this game!

While countless thoughts were running through Guardiola's mind, Cruyff began to be immersed in the upcoming Derby of the Century.

Obviously, the Dutch feel that this is not so much a contest between Guardiola and Yang Cheng, but a confrontation between the football concepts he and Guardiola represent and Yang Cheng's football concepts.

You all arranged substitutes for the Champions League in midweek, which is good. It gives the main players time to rest, so there is no secret in the starting lineup. If I am not wrong, Yang Cheng's starting lineup will not change!

The goalkeeper is Casillas. Thiago Silva, Ramos and Maicon will occupy three of the positions in the defense, but he used Miguel Torres as the left back in midweek. It is obvious that he also Oscillating between Arbeloa and Marcelo, after the latter returns from injury, will he be able to achieve combat effectiveness?

After Guardiola heard this, he took over and said, I heard that I participated in the team training and there were no injuries.

Cruyff shook his head, Don't look at it that way. Key battles, training, and even other games are different. The slightest detail may lead to the collapse of the game, so you have to guard against Marcelo!

Guardiola nodded in agreement.

If Arbeloa plays, the target must be Messi to make Messi cut inside. He is an effective weapon to activate the offense!

After a pause, Cruyff said again, Xavi = Alonso and Mascherano will both play. You must be careful about the pressure ability of this pair of midfielders in the midfield. The most important thing in this game is The most important thing is not in other places, but in our midfield, whether we can ensure that our possession area can effectively advance into Real Madrid's half.

Guardiola knows very well that this is the key to Barcelona, ​​and it is also the reason why he recently chose Busquets instead of Yaya Toure. The Ivorian has proven many times that his restlessness is the biggest hidden danger in the game.

Real Madrid's tactics also move the defense forward. The most important thing about Yang Cheng's double midfielder strategy is whether it can move the defense forward. Therefore, the key to this game is actually who can suppress the opponent in the midfield.

Don't underestimate Real Madrid's recent changes. Wing players cut inside and central players cut outside. These are very effective offensive methods to stretch the defense. You must pay attention. It is best to attack from the beginning and control the rhythm. and the situation within our control, firmly suppressing Real Madrid, ensuring our possession of the ball, and seizing the opportunity!

The battle for rhythm and situation is of extraordinary importance to this game, because both teams must ensure that the defense line moves forward. In this way, whoever completes better will have an easier time incorporating the rhythm into their own range, and thus Better completing your own skills and tactics and weakening your opponents is undoubtedly the biggest key to winning the game.

Therefore, Cruyff's idea was to attack from the beginning and take advantage of the home court advantage to ensure the opportunity.

It can be said that this series of ideas coincides with Guardiola's previous plan. After all, the two people have the same thoughts and ideas, and the current Real Madrid is not mysterious and has become the subject of research by all head coaches around the world. It’s not surprising that they have the same views on the subject.

But they are not without their differences, such as the team's center.

Or decide on Ibrahimovic? Cruyff looked at Guardiola as if he were looking at a stubborn student.

Guardiola nodded, He has performed very well recently and scored a lot of goals. I think he has adapted to Barcelona's tactics...

But before he could speak, Cruyff interrupted him with a wave of his hand, In La Liga, Real Madrid is different from other teams!

The difference from before is that Cruyff's tone is very serious now. Obviously they have discussed this topic many times, but Guardiola sticks to his opinion. He feels that Ibrahimovic can make Barcelona's tactics more three-dimensional. This can be seen in many recent games.

But Cruyff doesn't see it that way. Although he didn't stop the team from letting Eto'o go in the summer, he has changed his view as the schedule progresses. He feels that Ibrahimovic is not suitable for today's Barcelona at all. Letting go of Eto'o was the biggest mistake and continuing to use Ibrahimovic in important games would be adding insult to injury.

Bojan has performed very well recently. I think he can make a difference in the Derby of the Century! Cruyff expressed his opinion.

Guardiola looked at Cruyff. He followed the Dutchman's ideas and opinions on many issues, but in this matter, he felt that he was right. Bojan was thin and faced Ramos and Titus. Yago = Silva has no advantage.

But he is very diligent and can integrate into the team's system! Cruyff reminded

After that, he did not forget to remind him again, Josep, sometimes it is right for a head coach to insist on his own prestige and position, but he must not let personal grudges affect his judgment and not let his stupid self-confidence obscure him. His own eyes were so dark that he couldn't clearly see the situation.

It is well known that Guardiola does not like Bojan. The latter is a rare striker that Barcelona has trained at home in recent years. He performed well after being promoted to the first team and was highly regarded by all Barcelona fans. High expectations, but this also leads Bo Yang to hope more to play in the first team rather than the second team.

So last year, when Guardiola repeatedly asked Bojan to participate in second-team games and increase some training opportunities, Bojan refused, and the two even had a few words on the training ground. Then Guardiola came on stage, and Bojan completely The fall from favor was replaced by the rise of young players from their own youth training such as Pedro and Busquets.

Cruyff looked at Guardiola deeply. He also knew very clearly that this was Guardiola's insistence all along. If the two of them continued to argue, the result would only become more uncontrollable in the end. This was Cruyff. What Yves didn't want to see.

He has never forgotten how Nunez expelled him from Camp Nou and excluded him from the core of Barcelona during the later period of Nunez's management of Barcelona. The reason was that he spoke too much, which made Nunez angry. If not Later, after experiencing the dark period of Gaspart, it was difficult for Cruyff to return to the Nou Camp through Laporta.

Since that time, he learned one thing.

No one can accept a strong person dictating the situation above his head, not even his most devout believer, so he has now changed his way of participation, and he has begun to control and control the overall situation more.

Therefore, when it came to sensitive points of disagreement, Cruyff wisely chose to stop and change the subject.

There has been a lot of publicity in the outside world recently! Cruyff stood up from his seat and looked outside the glass room. Rain fell on the glass, making everything he looked outside become distorted. Never let it happen. The fans' emotions affect the team, and we should not let the grievances and grievances accumulated by the team over the years be transferred to the players.

Guardiola naturally attaches great importance to this situation, because he knows very well that every game between Barcelona and Real Madrid will inevitably be regarded by fans as a confrontation between Catalonia and Castilla. , is at the level of ethnic confrontation.

There is no guarantee that there will be no encouragement from Laporta, because his goal is not Barcelona at all, but to participate in politics. The political arena in Catalonia is his final destination, so he has now begun to consciously plan for his next step. The most typical way to raise chips for participating in politics is to incite national sentiment.

Independence has always been the emotion of the people of Catalonia. During the Franco dictatorship, they were victims of dictatorship, but they resisted. In today's democratic era, their emotions are little It has not been resolved, but has intensified.

I believe that if it weren't for the Derby of the Century twice a year, their emotions would have no place to vent.

But over the years, especially the past two years, Barcelona has been defeated in almost all aspects, which has once again pushed the emotions of all Barcelona fans to a new level. In addition, some politicians will do anything for votes and fame. Hyping and exaggerating without scruples is tantamount to pouring oil on the flames of raging national sentiment.

This kind of national sentiment is indeed conducive to the team's combat effectiveness when facing Real Madrid, which comes from the capital and represents the imperial power, but once it gets out of control, it is beyond the control of Guardiola.

The Derby of the Century at the Bernabeu last season is the best example. It was obvious that the players were completely out of control!

Yang Cheng is a very scary opponent. Facing such an opponent, everyone can only defeat him and his Real Madrid if they are fully committed and exert their strongest strength. To do this, we must ensure that we can successfully play our football!

This was the advice Cruyff gave Guardiola when he was about to leave, and Guardiola was not unaware of this.

The entire way down the mountain, he was thinking about this game and Cruyff's words. He wanted to get more chips and methods to win, so when he saw reporters at the intersection of the community, It's too late to hide.

Hello, Mr. Guardiola! A reporter immediately caught up with him, Are you going to visit Cruyff?

Obviously, they had known about it for a long time, so they blocked it here.

Guardiola nodded.

According to our understanding, you have to go to the mountains to visit him every game. This makes us wonder, what role does Cruyff play in the current Barcelona? Are you the head coach of Barcelona? Where is he? The reporter's words were a bit harsh because he was a reporter from the Madrid area.

He is my senior and has achieved outstanding results in Barcelona. I just discussed football with him. He has never overstepped or interfered too much in the team's internal management and tactical formulation. Guardiola obviously Some are angry.

No one wants to be doubted like this in person, right?

All I can say is that although John's opinion is very important, I am directing the game! Guardiola said angrily.

After that, he stopped accepting interviews, threw away the reporters, and walked directly forward.

But his anger was just the beginning of the derby of the century.

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