Guillem Balague

“He was also excited about the prospects of working with Raheem Sterling. Pep had no say in his signing but Sterling was…

— Guillem Balague

“The pre-match talks are in the hotel if it is an away game, or, if it is a home game, in the…

— Guillem Balague

“he wanted to confirm a personal theory: that a reserve team, like any other, could serve as a university of football; because…

— Guillem Balague

“You could play the ball with advantage not only because of the pass, but because of your positioning on the pitch and…

— Guillem Balague

“He cleansed the dressing room of players who were uncommitted and oblivious of the club’s core values: prioritising good football and hard…

— Guillem Balague

“The secret is in the details and in observing a lot. You have to pay a great deal of attention, constantly, to…

— Guillem Balague

“His philosophy is clear: first we should have the ball. With it, the opponent suffers and we have everything under control. Secondly,…

— Guillem Balague

“When Pep signed a marketing agreement with Sabadell Bank, committing to a number of lectures and personal interviews as part of the…

— Guillem Balague

“Rijkaard was aware of the stars’ behaviour, but indulged them, ever the optimist that the players were mature and responsible enough to…

— Guillem Balague

“within that meticulous preparation there co-existed a high degree of expression, always bearing in mind that this is football, that players must…

— Guillem Balague

“Guardiola believed in handing greater responsibility to the footballers, trusting that their intuition could help solve a great amount of their problems.…

— Guillem Balague

“The key is to have a strong dressing room, knowing that we are stronger together than one person on his own.”

— Guillem Balague

“He jokes about only wanting to see the restaurants, but it is all about learning . . . about new cultures, and how to…

— Guillem Balague

“the ball goes to the other central defender and this one makes a vertical pass – not to the midfielders, who have…

— Guillem Balague

“some key principles were quickly instilled in him: ‘Don’t stamp on anybody but don’t let anybody stamp on you; keep your head…

— Guillem Balague

“Why do we open up the field?’ Cruyff would explain. ‘Because if we have the ball and we are open, it is…

— Guillem Balague

“What makes you grow is defeat, making mistakes. It is what keeps you alert. When you win you think: “Great, we’ve won.”

— Guillem Balague

“Jerome Boateng spoke pre-season after the World Cup in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and described how Guardiola told him in every training…

— Guillem Balague

“Secondly, you should be able to control the ball with one touch. If you needed another one, you were not one of…

— Guillem Balague

“Nobody has paid any attention to the fundamental fact that Guardiola is a bricklayer’s son. For Pep, his father, Valentí, is an…

— Guillem Balague

“Barça had finished the league eighteen points behind Madrid the previous season and, at times like that, sportsmen typically need somebody to…

— Guillem Balague

“During this period, Pep perfected other weapons that were going to be used during the rest of the season – and from…

— Guillem Balague

“In life there are two ways of telling people what to do: either give them orders or set an example and encourage…

— Guillem Balague

“After Germany he would have to change direction and re-evaluate his ideals and accept that success would come in accordance with the…

— Guillem Balague

“Guardiola remained a lanky teenager with little muscle mass, the opposite of the ideal footballer’s stature. But great art is always born…

— Guillem Balague