Former Catalan boss Pep Guardiola has hinted about his days at Camp Nou, giving suggestions that his stay there was not as peachy as most would have imagined.
Guardiola has always been revered as one of the most successful coaches not only at Camp Nou but in the history of contemporary football, and while most fans fondly remember his time at the Blaugrana, the coach seems to have a different perception about the experience he has had there with some of the players.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, the former Barcelona and Bayern boss reflected on his time at Camp Nou, and without disclosing names, hinted that not all the players he had at his disposal were keen on working the way he desired. The Spanish tactical genius also hinted that he had tried to be as professional as he could be around his players, but had totally left it to them if they desired to have a closer relationship with him.
“With each passing season, my relationships with some players left a few scars, but also quite a lot to learn. I learned from it all. But the player-coach relationship is entirely up to them and not up to the boss. There are players that deserved a closer relationship and those who deserved a much more distant treatment,” Guardiola intimated.
He proceeded to refer to those players who showed more commitment to the cause, and how he chose to sidestep the players who were more inclined towards occupying the most headlines.
“During my time at Barcelona I had some close relationships with the players that thought about what was the best for them and for the team. I tend to feel more identified with the players that work for the team than to those who are always thinking about themselves. Back then, when I needed to field those players, I did not hesitate. But when I did not need to have them on the pitch, I decided to ignore them,” Guardiola revealed.
Towards the end of the interview, Guardiola downplayed the need of having great relationships with those players he was in charge of, emphasizing that this was mainly due to the fact that football is primarily and essentially a business than something more relationships-focused, unlike during his early days as a player.
“Football is a business that requires you to win once the ref blows his whistle. Apart from that, if we are more or less friends is irrelevant. This is a business. My goal here is to get the best performances possible from my players. They have to think about what’s best for the club and try to make fans happy. Having a good relationship is great, but in the end it doesn’t matter if they are good or bad, because what really matters is making the business thrive,” Guardiola said.
Now, wouldn’t it be a howler to know who those self-serving glory-seekers are that Pep is insinuating at?