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Pep Guardiola Didn't Inherit At Barcelona, He Revolutionised

Pep Guardiola Didn't Inherit At Barcelona, He Revolutionised

It wasn't all plain sailing...

Joshua Jones

Joshua Jones

When it was announced in February this year that Pep Guardiola would succeed Manuel Pellegrini as manager of Manchester City, he was bemoaned for taking another 'easy job' and proclaimed a fraud for doing so.

Many people look at the fact he took over Barcelona in his first top-tier job and was so successful in his inaugural season as proof that the squad he inherited were already world beaters.

They weren't.

FBA
FBA

In Frank Rijkaard's final season at the helm, Barca were horrendous. They ended up finishing 18 points behind eventual Champions and bitter rivals Real Madrid; as well as losing their most games since Louis Van Gaal's sacking. The season culminated in a run of just three wins from their last 15 domestic games, a run which included a 4-1 loss at Bernebeu and a 4-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon.

The problem was the players. The same group of players that had delivered Barcelona's first Champions League success since Pep Guardiola captained them to 1992 glory quickly became the same group that would become their downfall. Lionel Messi, at 19-years-old, hadn't matured enough yet to lead the squad on his own, whilst those that were mature enough shirked their responsibilities both on and off the pitch. Essentially, the mix of personalities was all wrong and would only have got worse had they not been separated.

Pep did just that. In his first conference as Blaugrana manager he announced that Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o would be playing no part in his plans. This was big talk for a man that had spent just one season in charge of Barcelona's B side, but it was completely justified. Guardiola had spent months meticulously planning how he could take the Catalans back to the top of world football and had subsequently identified those three as the main disruptions in a season of disappointment.

Ronaldinho had been past his peak for some time, despite only being 27 when the season ended, and was beginning to become a dead weight. Despite being a great mentor for Lionel Messi in the youngster's first few years, there were worries that he could begin to lead him astray and become a bad influence for the Argentinian.

The reason for Deco's removal was somewhat similar. Him and Ron enjoyed the 'finer things' away from the pitch; adamant that they could enjoy the best of both worlds - partying and drinking in their free time but still excelling on the pitch. It wasn't sustainable.

Deco picked up several minor injuries throughout the season and struggled to shake them off like he would have in previous campaigns. His fitness levels bombed and he contributed less on the pitch as the season wore on. As did Ron.

Once regarded as the world's best footballer, put simply, Ronaldinho got fat. The same fate that befell fellow Brazilians Ronaldo and Adriano would be his downfall too. He didn't have the mentality or the dedication to get himself back in to shape but couldn't resist the lavish life that he loved so much.

A naive Lionel Messi wouldn't have been able to ignore the temptations presented to him by players he not only idolised, but regarded as family. They had to go, or Barcelona risked losing three players rather than two.

The third player that Guardiola vowed to rid his squad of was Samuel Eto'o. The Cameroonian's turbulent relationship with Ronaldinho divided the Barcelona dressing room and if Pep's vision was to be realised the squad had to be united. The saving grace for Eto'o came once Ronaldinho had left.

He changed for the better and the decision was made to let him stay and prove himself in the 2008/09 season. It proved to be an inspired call by Guardiola, to be humble enough to go back on what he had said, as the striker scored 34 goals on Barcelona's road to the sextuple.

Perhaps his defining decision though, was to promote Sergio Busquets to the first team. At the time, it seemed an odd decision. Busi had only just turned 20 in the summer of 2008 and, having only played one season in the B Team, was deemed by many to be too inexperienced to bring stability to Barcelona's midfield.

In his final season in charge, Rijkaard's emphasis was on physicality in midfield - Iniesta and Xavi's style of play wasn't complimented by this. Guardiola opted to focus more on possession and pressing, meaning the midfield didn't need to be physically oriented and thus making Busquets the perfect fit for the Cruyff-inspired 4-3-3 formation. Sergio became the deep-lying defensive pivot, just behind the creative duo, and was key in both retaining and recovering the ball.

The beginning of the season was met with struggles. An uninspiring 1-0 defeat at newly promoted Numancia saw a bombardment of questions regarding Pep's appointment. This was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to Racing Santander and the doubt among supporters and critics was rife.

Pep wasn't phased though. Despite taking just one point from six available, Guardiola was impressed with what he had seen from his players and sure his methods would pay off.

Two disappointing results were followed by a 6-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon at El Molinón. It was the beginning of a beautifully successful season for Pep and Barcelona; looking unstoppable on their way to reclaiming the treble that they hadn't won since his playing days.

Pep's Barcelona were collectively and individually a better side than Rijkaard's Champions. Lionel Messi was a different animal under Guardiola and, complimented by Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry, won his first World Player of the Year award.

Gerard Pique (also brought in by Pep in the summer) went from being the 'Manchester United flop that struggled against Burton Albion' to a ball-playing centre-back in the best team in the world. Supported by the experience of Carles Puyol and Rafa Marquez, Pique's return to Catalonia proved to be an inspired decision.

The emphasis on pressing and possession introduced by Pep was fundamental in making Barcelona the world-beaters they were to become. Guardiola may have inherited the players, but he didn't inherit the team. He revolutionised it.

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