Red Rebels

8o4 Those things about Barcelona

"Do you know that at the beginning of the second half, Guardiola passed by me. He smiled and said to me, Jose, the game has just started. Do you know what I was thinking at that time?"

Mourinho sat on the chair in the center of the press conference, looking as casual as when he was being interviewed by reporters at home. He talked and laughed happily to the hundreds of media and reporters in the venue. His smile was eye-catching. It shows the joy in his heart at this moment and his familiarity with this kind of scene.

He seems to be a guy born for press conferences.

After listening to Mourinho's words, everyone, including Guardiola, shook their heads. They were not roundworms in Mourinho's belly, so naturally they didn't know what the Portuguese was thinking.

"I was thinking at the time, did this guy take the wrong medicine? My team has already won a goal against him, and he suddenly told me that the game has just begun? I believe he is the fool."

The entire venue burst into laughter, and all the media practitioners and staff couldn't help laughing. Even Guardiola couldn't help smiling, laughing from the bottom of his heart.

This smile seemed to relieve him of the heavy burden on his shoulders, making him feel extremely relaxed, his mind became more active, and he could think about problems more clearly and clearly than before.

After a burst of laughter, everyone chose to be quiet again and turned their attention to Mourinho. They all hoped that the witty Portuguese could continue to bring them more information and let them promote it. A handful of sales, but who knew, this guy suddenly chose to be deep.

Some people say that Mourinho's face is like the weather in Manchester. It changes at any time. In an instant, no one can guess the time and no one can control his emotions, except when facing Xiao Yu. when.

"But after 45 minutes of the second half, I really understood why Guardiola was so confident. I also have to admit that these 45 minutes were the strongest and most aggressive team I have encountered in the past few years. Barcelona, ​​they are adhering to their traditions and playing their own distinctive football."

"In these 45 minutes, their solid defense and mercury-like offense brought us huge trouble. They showed us that our defensive system, which is known as the strongest in the world, is not unbreakable. They also let us You see, the Red Rebels still have a lot of room for improvement.”

"Barcelona's performance in the second half is respectable. I never say anything against my will, and I rarely praise my opponents, especially to Barcelona. But this time, I have to admit that Guardiola's Barcelona is great. "

Mourinho's words immediately surprised everyone in the venue.

But at the same time, they all understand why Mourinho said this, because they all feel the same way.

The first half of the Red Rebels was flawless, but it was just a stage for the Red Rebels alone, but football is a personal game, so if this game is compared to a movie, then the Red Rebels The protagonist of the Rebels robs the scene so much that it dilutes the role of the other protagonist, Barcelona.

Maybe, with this movie, Red Rebel can win the Oscar, but a movie like this will never win the Oscar for Best Picture, because it is an unbalanced, one-sided movie.

But the second half was completely different. Barcelona's state seemed to have completely returned after a recharge. In the second half, they changed from the conservative approach of the first half and played a beautiful offensive battle with the Red Rebels.

Both teams have deep technical skills. They both pay attention to control and technical details, which makes their fast-paced offensive battles a wonderful football feast for fans all over the world.

There is no doubt that these 45 minutes are definitely the most exciting 45 minutes of this season. They can be called a textbook on technical football and will surely be used for reference and learning by countless football practitioners.

Although the two sides only scored one goal in the entire second half, this goal was very memorable because it was the first time so far this season, starting from the summer training camp, that all teams in the world scored against the Red Rebels. The goal of the Army was also the first goal Cech conceded this season.

Barcelona still lost,:, but Barcelona won. At least they regained the respect of the fans, won the respect of Mourinho, won the respect of the Red Rebels, and also won their own dignity.

They can finally stand tall and tell the world that even if they don't act, even if they don't make small moves, they are still the super giant Barcelona, ​​and they are still the feared super team.

"Excuse me, Mr. Guardiola, why did Barcelona seem to be two completely different teams in the first half and the second half? Did you say something to the Barcelona players during the break? Or did you do something to them? What about some kind of encouragement?”

Guardiola was obviously a little embarrassed because he did not win this game. Although at the end of the game, the attitude of the Camp Nou fans towards the home team was completely different from that at the break, Guardiola still A little uneasy.

Fans are very simple, very innocent. They just like the team and hope that the team can continue to improve itself, so it is very easy to please them, but it is difficult for the board of directors. They have strong political goals. Guardiola To please them, more and more chips are undoubtedly needed.

"Actually, I didn't say anything to them. I just told them that Barcelona's tradition has never been timid when encountering difficulties. We should face the difficulties. That is the Barcelona worthy of respect."

"In addition, I also encourage my players. I hope they can speak out their thoughts boldly in the locker room, express their views on the game, and their requirements for the coach, the club, and their teammates. I'm very lucky that they were all candid and expressed their thoughts, but 5 minutes is too short for us."

"In these five minutes, my players and I have learned a lot, which has been of great help to us. I hope to be able to retain these things learned today and integrate them into our Barcelona’s fighting system is good and I believe that will make us stronger.”

Guardiola never said what he discussed with the players or what he understood, but it was obvious that he really learned from this game, these 5 minutes, and the 45 minutes of the second half. Learned a lot.

At least he clearly made these reporters who are good at observing words and emotions notice the changes in his whole person.

"But it is said that some people heard that during the break, Piqué and Busquets had a conflict in the locker room, and someone else moved their hands. Can you explain it?" A reporter from Marca asked, fearing that the world would not be in chaos. road.

Marca supports Real Madrid, so naturally it is at loggerheads with Barcelona and wishes Barcelona would be finished soon.

Today's Real Madrid is getting stronger and stronger in La Liga, especially with the rise of frontcourt attacking players such as David Silva, Mata, Navas, Ribery, and Ancelotti's performance this season. Joining, he turned Real Madrid into an offensive team that plays beautiful football.

Real Madrid overwhelmed Barcelona, ​​and Marca naturally hopes to further add insult to injury. At least what they are doing now is just what the pro-Barcelona newspapers did to Real Madrid a few years ago.

Things take a turn, and this is also true in football circles.

"I will not divulge what happened in the locker room and the conversations that took place. That is a secret between me and the players, but I can responsibly clarify that there are no problems between our team, all the problems." Everything was resolved in these five minutes, and we will be a united whole."

The media and reporters obviously don't see Guardiola's optimism that way. At least they feel that Guardiola is still avoiding the important and taking the easy. At least if there is a fight in the Barcelona locker room, it will definitely not be simple.

Afterwards, the reporter asked Guardiola and Mourinho several questions about Barcelona and the Red Rebels respectively, but the two head coaches were in a good mood today. Although Guardiola lost, his Something was won, and he temporarily won back the hearts of the fans.

As for Mourinho, frankly speaking, the Portuguese is a victory-only snobbish guy. As long as he wins the game, he will always be in a good mood. This is also the case in this game, plus he is really concerned about his performance in the second half. Barcelona is satisfied with their performance, so naturally they won't say anything bad.

This was a peaceful and profitable press conference. At least compared to other press conferences attended by Mourinho, this press conference held at the Camp Nou had a good atmosphere and the results were also very good.

…………

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When Guardiola walked out of Camp Nou, picked up his car, and was about to leave the parking lot, he happened to see his assistant coach and Barcelona Vice President Begiristain talking in the distance. No one knew what they were talking about. , but judging from his expression, Begiristan was furious, while the assistant coach had an angry expression.

"You should be talking about me, right? At this time," Guardiola smiled bitterly, but he did not stop the car. Instead, he stepped on the accelerator, and the Audi rushed past. No one knew that he had seen this scene.

Guardiola has a deep awareness of his situation in Barcelona. He even believes that after this game, he is likely to leave the Barcelona coaching bench.

Rumors of leaving have been circulating for a long time, but Barcelona officials have never come forward to clarify. This is a kind of acquiescence to a certain extent, but before Barcelona contacted the head coach who was unwilling to take over this mess, Laporta Only then did Guardiola continue to coach the team.

Now it seems that they can't wait any longer

As the car drove on the highway home, Guardiola's expression was not as solemn as he imagined. He asked himself that he had tried his best. If the higher-ups felt that he was not suitable and asked him to leave, although it would be a pity for him, he would still do it. He will choose to respect, after all, he loves Barcelona and this team.

Just like when he was on the verge of retirement and was ruthlessly kicked out by Barcelona, ​​he will not hold a grudge.

But just as he was thinking, his phone suddenly rang.

After driving the car to the temporary parking area, Guardiola answered the phone. There came a voice that he should be familiar with, Sandro Rosell, the former Barcelona vice president, a candidate for the presidential election next summer. candidate.

"Hello, Mr. Russell" Guardiola always seems polite.

Russell on the other side of the phone smiled and said, "Pep, if you have time, I hope to have a good chat with you."

"About what?" Guardiola's heart skipped a beat. The last thing he wanted was to jump into the quagmire of the board of directors, but he clearly realized that Russell was looking for him for the purpose of next year's presidential election.

Sure enough, Russell smiled and said his purpose, "I hope you can continue to stay in Barcelona."

"This is not something I can decide, Mr. Rosell," Guardiola reminded. At least now, one of them is a head coach who is on the verge of dismissal, and the other is a former Barcelona vice president. It is difficult to say whether he can be elected president next year.

Laporta has already begun to cultivate a successor for himself, and he will not let Barcelona out of his clutches so easily.

Russell was still laughing, but his laughter was full of confidence, "Don't be afraid to be honest, Pep, your current situation is very bad. I can tell you clearly that you will be dismissed from get out of class within three days. The head coach of the second team Enrique will take your place and become the acting head coach of Barcelona's first team, and then invite a world-class coach to join you next summer."

As for who the candidate is, Russell did not say, and Guardiola had no need to ask.

Not every head coach who is about to leave has the courage to ask who is the guy who took away his job.

Guardiola on the phone had a bit of a wry smile. He was sensitive to the fact that Rosell's news should be true. He had served as Barcelona's vice chairman, and he was aiming for the presidential election next year. There must be his informants within Barcelona. .

Coupled with the dispute between Begiristain and the assistant coach just now, Guardiola guessed that Russell was telling the truth, and this decision should have just come out not long ago. Russell was able to get it as soon as possible and immediately gave it to himself. The call was obviously prepared.

"What exactly do you want to say, Mr. Russell?" Guardiola sensitively noticed some clues.

Rosell was not displeased with Guardiola's tone and just replied calmly: "I want to help you, Pep. I think you are a very suitable coach for Barcelona. I am very optimistic about your coaching." Ability, especially the change you showed in the second half of this game, gives me hope of revitalizing Barcelona."

"What restricts you from displaying your talents is not just the players, but also the coaching staff and the board of directors. They are all a bunch of useless guys. I think they should all be cleared out of Barcelona's organization, and then a modern management team should be established and introduced. modern management methods.”

"Modern football has higher and higher requirements for head coaches, and correspondingly, more and more powers should be given to them, such as player introduction and signing, vertical management of youth teams, etc. I think that the British head coach model It’s worth learning and learning from.”

The British head coach is a big temptation in the football world, because in the UK, the head coach can get considerable power, but in other leagues, although Guardiola gets a lot of power in Barcelona, ​​it has not yet reached the level where he can He dominates the transfer market, but if he reaches the level of Ying, at least he will have more power than he does now.

The more power you have, the more opportunities you have to display your talents and ideals.

After just the second half, Guardiola felt that his football philosophy seemed to have entered a higher realm. He hoped to have the opportunity to show his football world and lead Barcelona to higher glory.

What Rosell put forward undoubtedly catered to his requirements, and his views on the Barcelona board of directors were exactly the same as Guardiola's. At least he gave Guardiola a clear signal. If he takes over, Guardiola will Will become Barcelona’s Mourinho and become the most legendary person in Barcelona’s history

This is an absolute temptation for Guardiola

"It's late, Mr. Russell. I don't think it's a wise choice to invite the inferior coach who was fired by the previous president to join your campaign team," Guardiola said with a wry smile.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, Russell burst out laughing, "You can rest assured on this, Pep, I will not fight an uncertain battle, I just want to ask you about your wishes. "

"If you are willing to stay at Barcelona, ​​then I am happy to see us working together in the future to create a great scene of Barcelona's revival; if you lose interest in coaching Barcelona, ​​it is a pity, but I respect your decision, and then I hope You, Pep, forget all the conversations we had today and just pretend I didn't make this call."

After a short pause, Russell continued to ask: "Now, can you answer me, are you willing to continue coaching Barcelona?"

Guardiola barely hesitated and nodded directly, "Of course, I'm very happy."

Russell on the other side of the phone was obviously nodding and happy, "Well, Pep, I can guarantee that at this time next year, you will still be the head coach of Barcelona. No one can easily Pull you down."

Then, Russell said a few more words to reassure Guardiola, and then hung up the phone.

But from beginning to end, he never said what method he could use to prevent Guardiola from being dismissed from get out of class, or what method he could use to compete for the position of Barcelona chairman, but Guardiola could hear the meaning in his words. Share confidence.

It wasn't until the end of the season when Guardiola led Barcelona to successfully reverse Real Madrid and win the La Liga championship, the King's Cup, and the UEFA Cup, achieving the Triple Crown, that he suddenly understood that Russell's gamble was correct

But Guardiola did not break his promise. During the presidential election, he directly expressed his support for Rosell and actively campaigned for Rosell's candidacy, and ultimately helped Rosell win the position of Barcelona chairman.

This was hailed as a stroke of genius by Rosell, and it also created a brilliant future for Barcelona in the next few years.