Pep Confidential (54 page)

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Authors: Martí Perarnau

BOOK: Pep Confidential
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Guardiola chats with the author in his office. The Bayern boss gave Perarnau unprecedented access to the club throughout the 2013-14 season on the proviso that he did not write about what he saw until the campaign had ended.

Lorenzo Buenaventura (left), Bayern’s head fitness coach, explains the team’s physical preparation strategy to the author. ‘He is trying to introduce new concepts to football and he likes to see it evolving year by year,’ says Buenaventura of Guardiola.

‘I’m trying to implement something that flies in the face of the culture here.’ Pep explains the details of his game plan, the player positions, sequences and movements to his coaches before training.

Guardiola and his wife, Cristina, embrace Oktoberfest in Munich by dressing in traditional German costume. ‘I don’t have any problem with all that because what is important for the club is also important for me,’ says Guardiola. ‘At Barça I didn’t do much of this kind of thing… each has its culture and its way of doing things.’

Guardiola’s relationship with Arjen Robben would prove pivotal to his revolution at Bayern. ‘I love this style of football because it reminds me a bit of the traditional Dutch game, the football Van Gaal used to play,’ said Robben.
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Bastian Schweinsteiger scores in the 1-1 draw during Bayern’s last 16 second-leg match against Arsenal in March 2014. ‘With a 2-0 lead from the away game, it made no sense to take risks,’ reflected Guardiola, who watched his side claim their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
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Pep issues instructions to Franck Ribéry, Javi Martínez and Philipp Lahm during Bayern’s Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen on April 2014. ‘I want them to dig into that DNA, let themselves go, run, liberate themselves,’ insists Guardiola.
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Manchester United’s goalkeeper, David de Gea, is unable to save Arjen Robben’s strike during the Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena. It was a tough evening for the home side who fell behind to Patrice Evra’s strike and struggled to break United down, before emerging 3-1 winners on the night. ‘What else did you expect? They’re a brilliant team,’ insisted Guardiola.
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Guardiola faced his old El Clásico nemesis Real Madrid in the 2014 Champions League semi-final. It would prove to be an unhappy reunion for the Catalan, who lost the first leg 1-0 and then changed tactics for the second leg at the behest of his players, only to go down 4-0. ‘I got it totally wrong,’ he admitted.
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Sergio Ramos scores Real Madrid’s second goal during the Champions League semi-final second leg. Astonishingly, after a season of defensive solidity, Bayern conceded three of Madrid’s four goals from set plays.
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A dejected Philipp Lahm looks on as Real Madrid’s players celebrate their progression to the Champions League final. Guardiola’s decision to move Lahm from his influential berth in mid-field to right-back proved a serious tactical error against the Spaniards.
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