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Authors: Guillem Balagué
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of the defence, the Dutch coach wasn’t deterred by Pep’s slight physique. He called him up because he sensed that he could read the game and pass
the ball.
On that day in May 1989, Pep had to drop everything, including a girl he was just getting to know, grab his kit and travel with the first team to a friendly in Banyoles. Suddenly, unexpectedly,
he had made his senior Barcelona debut. He was eighteen years old. If he’d hoped that the girl would be impressed with his new status, the same could not be said of Cruyff who was distinctly
underwhelmed by Pep’s debut performance. ‘You were slower than my granny!’ the coach told him at half-time; but Pep grew to understand Cruyff’s methods when it came to
chastising his players: ‘When he attacked you most and when you were at your worst was when he helped you most. Butsince it was my first experience with a coach, who was
so important to me, that affected me enough for me never to forget it.’
‘Slower than my granny’ – those words marked the beginning of one of the most enduring and influential football relationships in history.
A training session. Nou Camp. Late morning, winter 1993
According to the principles Johan Cruyff introduced to Barcelona, coaches should lead by example: play football, be on the field during training and teach, because there is
nothing better than stopping the game, correcting and instructing, explaining why someone needed to pass to a certain player, move to a particular position or change an element of their technique.
That’s how Carles Rexach, Cruyff’s assistant for eight years at Barcelona, explains it: ‘One word from Johan during a training drill is worth more than a hundred hours of talks at
the blackboard.’
It is a training style that Pep emulates and applies today in his training sessions; but for a young player, Cruyff could be so imposing that it was difficult to talk to him. His iconic status
and his absolute conviction in his methods and ideas often created a near-authoritarian way of communicating.
On a sunny but cold day on the pitch sandwiched between La Masía and the Camp Nou, Cruyff decided to target Guardiola. ‘Two legs!’ he shouted at his pupil. And Laudrup and the
others laughed. ‘Two legs, two legs!’ The coach was trying to get Pep to lose his fear of his left foot. If he received the ball with his left foot, he could, with a slight touch,
switch it to the right one, then hit a pass. And vice versa. The problem for Pep was that he didn’t feel comfortable. ‘Two legs, kid!’ Cruyff kept shouting.
Johan Cruyff was the person who had the greatest influence on Guardiola: as the coach who was with Pep the longest (six years), and the one for whom Pep has the greatest affection and respect.
Cruyff was also the man who gave him the opportunity to play in the Barcelona first team, the one who believed in him at a time whenhe was looking for exactly the kind of
player that Pep came to be – a passer of the ball positioned in front of the defence who could provide the platform from which every Barcelona attack would begin. He also taught his players
how to mark an opponent, teaching them to focus on a rival’s weaknesses – while accentuating what you were good at, to fight the battles you could win, in other words. It was a
revelation for Pep, who lacked the physique to beat a tall, powerful, central midfielder in the air – so he learnt, under Cruyff, to avoid jumping with his rival, but to wait instead.
Cruyff’s theory was: ‘Why fight? Keep your distance, anticipate where he’ll head the ball and wait for the bounce. You’ll be in control while he’s jumping
around.’
But it wasn’t all that easy for Pep, not in the beginning. After making his debut against Banyoles, eighteen months passed before Guardiola had the opportunity to play with the first team
again although his performances with the B side were not going completely unnoticed. Then, in the summer of
the ball.
On that day in May 1989, Pep had to drop everything, including a girl he was just getting to know, grab his kit and travel with the first team to a friendly in Banyoles. Suddenly, unexpectedly,
he had made his senior Barcelona debut. He was eighteen years old. If he’d hoped that the girl would be impressed with his new status, the same could not be said of Cruyff who was distinctly
underwhelmed by Pep’s debut performance. ‘You were slower than my granny!’ the coach told him at half-time; but Pep grew to understand Cruyff’s methods when it came to
chastising his players: ‘When he attacked you most and when you were at your worst was when he helped you most. Butsince it was my first experience with a coach, who was
so important to me, that affected me enough for me never to forget it.’
‘Slower than my granny’ – those words marked the beginning of one of the most enduring and influential football relationships in history.
A training session. Nou Camp. Late morning, winter 1993
According to the principles Johan Cruyff introduced to Barcelona, coaches should lead by example: play football, be on the field during training and teach, because there is
nothing better than stopping the game, correcting and instructing, explaining why someone needed to pass to a certain player, move to a particular position or change an element of their technique.
That’s how Carles Rexach, Cruyff’s assistant for eight years at Barcelona, explains it: ‘One word from Johan during a training drill is worth more than a hundred hours of talks at
the blackboard.’
It is a training style that Pep emulates and applies today in his training sessions; but for a young player, Cruyff could be so imposing that it was difficult to talk to him. His iconic status
and his absolute conviction in his methods and ideas often created a near-authoritarian way of communicating.
On a sunny but cold day on the pitch sandwiched between La Masía and the Camp Nou, Cruyff decided to target Guardiola. ‘Two legs!’ he shouted at his pupil. And Laudrup and the
others laughed. ‘Two legs, two legs!’ The coach was trying to get Pep to lose his fear of his left foot. If he received the ball with his left foot, he could, with a slight touch,
switch it to the right one, then hit a pass. And vice versa. The problem for Pep was that he didn’t feel comfortable. ‘Two legs, kid!’ Cruyff kept shouting.
Johan Cruyff was the person who had the greatest influence on Guardiola: as the coach who was with Pep the longest (six years), and the one for whom Pep has the greatest affection and respect.
Cruyff was also the man who gave him the opportunity to play in the Barcelona first team, the one who believed in him at a time whenhe was looking for exactly the kind of
player that Pep came to be – a passer of the ball positioned in front of the defence who could provide the platform from which every Barcelona attack would begin. He also taught his players
how to mark an opponent, teaching them to focus on a rival’s weaknesses – while accentuating what you were good at, to fight the battles you could win, in other words. It was a
revelation for Pep, who lacked the physique to beat a tall, powerful, central midfielder in the air – so he learnt, under Cruyff, to avoid jumping with his rival, but to wait instead.
Cruyff’s theory was: ‘Why fight? Keep your distance, anticipate where he’ll head the ball and wait for the bounce. You’ll be in control while he’s jumping
around.’
But it wasn’t all that easy for Pep, not in the beginning. After making his debut against Banyoles, eighteen months passed before Guardiola had the opportunity to play with the first team
again although his performances with the B side were not going completely unnoticed. Then, in the summer of
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