Both meet tomorrow for the first time at the Camp Nou
Devoted to the Cruyffista philosophy, Xavi drank from Pep’s fountain while being directed by Santpedor’s
“Xavi doesn’t have to be my heir or anyone else’s. It has to be him.” These are Pep Guardiola’s words about Xavi Hernández Nine months ago, shortly after the man from Terrassa was appointed Barça coach and comparisons between the two were inevitable due to the similar way they both understand football.
Tomorrow, at the Camp Nou and in the friendly match between Barça and Manchester City, which will serve to honor Juan Carlos Unzué and raise funds for research into ALS, both coaches will face each other for the first time on the bench. Both are devotees of the philosophy that Johan Cruyff implanted in FC Barcelona. Guardiola played with the Dutchman and learned from him. Xavi, who also picked up a lot of knowledge from Cruyff himself, received master classes on it while having Guardiola as coach, with whom he won everything and became one of the best midfielders in the world.. “Being managed by Guardiola was a master. I learned a lot. Because of how he is, the ambition he has, the desire, the passion he puts into it. He is obsessive about football, about tactics”, acknowledged the current Barça coach speaking of Guardiola.
Attacking football and having the ball are not discussed at Barça or Manchester City. P is an important letter for both Guardiola and Xavi. Possession, pressure and position. Their teams must have the ball in their possession, the pressure after a loss is non-negotiable and both are lovers of position play. They favor a 4-3-3 scheme, although the two have varied this system to play with three players behind in some games. Both are demanding with their footballers and their pulse does not shake with them. What Guardiola showed as soon as he arrived at Barça requesting the sale of Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o, is being copied by Xavi, who has not hesitated to warn one of his captains, Gerard Piqué, that it will be difficult for him to play this season .
TRACKING STYLES
The similarities between the two, who came to coincide in the same squad when Louis van Gaal promoted Xavi to the first team in 1998, are many. Two almost identical styles face each other today at the Camp Nou. We will have to see who prevails, even if it is only a friendly. On Thursday, the draw for the first phase of the Champions League could bring about a new confrontation. It would be official.