Guillem Balague

“The German team became more German than ever. They used in their performance the ‘Mia San Mia’ motto that the players wear…

— Guillem Balague

“Before heading out on to the pitch, Johan Cruyff gave his players a simple instruction: ‘Go out there and enjoy yourselves.’ It…

— Guillem Balague

“Ronaldo also dropped deep to receive the ball, turn round and run towards goal – and he always found space as the…

— Guillem Balague

“It is better for a player to lose the ball when he is dribbling, feeling over-confident, than for a blunder, a mistake…

— Guillem Balague

“We have to transmit trust and security in all the decisions we make. ‘That trust, security and sincerity are the fundamental pillars…

— Guillem Balague

“On one occasion Guardiola explained that there are two types of coaches: those who think problems solve themselves and those who solve…

— Guillem Balague

“He could live with them playing badly now and again, he told them, but he demanded 100 per cent on the pitch…

— Guillem Balague

“The coach sat down with president Laporta, Beguiristain and Estiarte in the suite of the hotel in which the team were staying…

— Guillem Balague

“Failure is when a player does not have a good training session, when the coach relaxes and stops caring, when the team…

— Guillem Balague

“Ingla and Txiki set out a plan for the rest of the season which saw them working and consulting simultaneously with both…

— Guillem Balague

“Searching for that flash of inspiration, that moment, the magical moment: ‘I’ve got it. I’ve got it. This is how we are…

— Guillem Balague

“The players who go through La Masía are taught to behave with civility and humility. The theory being that, not only is…

— Guillem Balague

“In future they must place themselves more cleverly to receive the pass, and to start pressuring their opponents more quickly.”

— Guillem Balague

“I saw Guardiola as a mystical type of person. The way he dressed – always in black – he was sometimes very…

— Guillem Balague

“What you can’t do is study the talks, learn them by heart. Two or three concepts are all you need . . . and…

— Guillem Balague

“He wanted players who controlled the ball with their first touch, who had quick feet, who retained the ball and created superiority…

— Guillem Balague

“That August evening at Los Pajaritos, el mister, as coaches are known in Spain, told his players something that he has repeated…

— Guillem Balague

“Guardiola knows it is easier to work with a group hungry for victory rather than with one that has won everything, and…

— Guillem Balague

“This is the beautiful thing about this job, because each rival, each situation, is different to the previous one and you always…

— Guillem Balague

“Superiority in midfield, as predicted by Pep, was the key to the game.”

— Guillem Balague

“Discover constantly where the free man is and through passing, passing, passing, work the ball into forward positions.’ The high technical quality…

— Guillem Balague

“Players were fined €120 if they were late for training and had to stick to a twelve o’clock curfew – if they…

— Guillem Balague

“where his side could gain the upper hand in two v ones; endlessly replaying the key battles.”

— Guillem Balague

“With Pep’s help and his own intuition, Messi started playing football with an accordion-like movement: the further the ball was away from…

— Guillem Balague

“all of them, no matter how many times they won, carried around one commandment: ‘I am in a huge club even in…

— Guillem Balague