So....Cruyff Rang....We Didn't Get Back To Him.

[themn]

...according to *cough* Guillem Balague (I know, I know !).

He and Pako Ayesteran were in Liverpool last night, promoting Balague's book on Guardiola.

Peter Hooton tweeted some of the stuff they said.

TheFarm/PeterHooton ‏@TheFarm13
Ballague 'Cruyff phoned Liverpool in the summer with a plan but they never phoned him back'

Ballague asked Pep about Liverpool - he said it was a club with a lot of history but not enough investment to challenge!

Pako - success depends on belief and competition in squad even changing a squad that has just won trophies!

Pako - it is so difficult to create a way of winning things. Consistency is the key from the academy to the first team that's crucial!

Pako - I left Liverpool because we started doing things wrong - I lost my belief!

Ballague 'Torres left the club because very important people in the club kept on telling him lies and he got fed up with them'


I wonder what Cruyff's ideas were for us ?

Oh well....

 

[Woland]

I reckon the plan may have involved getting paid loads of dough somewhere that has regular short flights to Amsterdam.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Why would the Messiah Pep be overly concerned about investment? I thought he was the master of building teams from the Academy.

 

[the count]

Why would the Messiah Pep be overly concerned about investment? I thought he was the master of building teams from the Academy.

Well said Ross

 

[Roopy]

Erm, investment can be for a range of things ... isn't necessarily limited to the purchasing of players.

Investment into the youth/academy set up ... facilities ... coaches ... you cannot compare what we have to that of La Masia, Ajax, Milan, Rennes etc.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

Pako - I left Liverpool because we started doing things wrong - I lost my belief!

Insert - Rafa is a stubborn looney who would never listen to people

 

[Modo]

Pako - I left Liverpool because we started doing things wrong - I lost my belief!

Insert - Rafa is a stubborn looney who would never listen to people

most likely

 

[Rosco]

Well we didnt do much right after he left

 

[gkmacca]

They should get back together again, like St Hubbins and Tufnel did at the end of Spinal Tap.

 

[Judge Jules]

Same thing happened to GH when Patrice Bergues went home. Regrettably both GH and Rafa were particularly badly suited as individuals to managing without such support.

 

[Mors]

Why would the Messiah Pep be overly concerned about investment? I thought he was the master of building teams from the Academy.

Strangely enough this is what most people think, or act like they believe. They act like he walked into a shite barca team with no messi, and turned them round.
Tito has a better record than pep currently like for like.

 

[Fabio]

Strangely enough this is what most people think, or act like they believe. They act like he walked into a shite barca team with no messi, and turned them round.
Tito has a better record than pep currently like for like.

Which I don't understand

Is vilanova going to be heralded as a genius if barca win the treble?

 

[keniget]

Guardiola didn't inherit a Barcelona on top of their game. He inherited a team that had just lost the title to Madrid, a fractious dressing room and their star players needed sorting / shipping out. That is a delicate job and someone could have very very easily gotten it wrong. We've seen enough examples of that happening over the years.

Ronaldinho and Deco were shipped out and Eto'o was put well in his place and that shipped out (much to my surprise at the time). These were lynchpins of that wonderful side that played with so much flair and creativity under Rijkaard. Guardiola made them very organized, ruthlessly efficient and very hungry to win. Still magnificent to watch but different from Rijkaard's team. It wasn't a case of just keep things ticking over.

You can talk about how he inherited Messi, but the Messi we see now is not the Messi he had when he took over. Messi was of course supremely talented, but playing at RW and supporting the likes of Eto'o. Until 2008 his highest tally was 14 goals. It was under Guardiola that he ended up in the middle and the focal point of the attack backed by Xavi and Iniesta (and it took people a while to latch onto this as he was labelled a wide man for ages afterwards).

The squad? Well, what about Pedro and Busquets? Both Spanish internationals now. Pedro has Guardiola to thank for his career as the Barca staff basically decided he wasn't very good and were going to bomb him out. Guardiola wanted him and he ended up in the first team scoring loads of goals. Busquets is a mainstay in the team. And he maintained a close eye on Barca B with the likes of Thiago, Cuenca and Tello being eased in.

I guess for Guardiola you can read Guardiola / Tito and now Tito is continuing their good work. There is a chance that Tito influenced their success more than the casual observer realized at thet time, but I don't think this is a Klinnsman / Low scenario. Guardiola seems to have the respect of a lot of people and is a talented guy. I'd be surprised if he ever replicates the success he had at Barca but that shouldn't detract from what he achieved there.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

The ocean just called. They are running out of shrimp.

 

[Y1]

Maybe Cruyff wanted to offer LFC a plan without Luis?

 

[gkmacca]

Or his plan was: 'Thish room...will be a shmoking room. Thish offish...will be a shmoking office. Thish gym...will be a shmoking gym...'

 

[Hansern]

If Pako hadnt left I'm guessing some of Macias horrendous transfer ideas would have met a bit more resistance.

 

[the count]

If Pako hadnt left I'm guessing some of Macias horrendous transfer ideas would have met a bit more resistance.

Wasn't the rumour he left because he disagreed with the signing of Babel?