|
>He never spent time honing his knowledge of the game in the
>peninsula, as far as I know. Unlike Pep.
>
>Which reminds me!
>
>https://thesefootballtimes.co/2020/04/24/when-pep-went-to-italy-the-eventful-two-years-in-serie-a-that-helped-shape-guardiola/
>
>WHEN PEP WENT TO ITALY: THE EVENTFUL TWO YEARS IN SERIE A THAT
>HELPED SHAPE GUARDIOLA
>24/04/2020 by LUKE OSMAN
>
>The love affair ended not with a bang, but a whimper. When the
>final whistle sounded around the Camp Nou on 24 June 2001,
>Barcelona crashed out of the Copa del Rey having failed to
>overcome Celta in the two-legged semi-final. The comprehensive
>4–1 aggregate defeat capped two trophyless seasons for the
>once-great Catalan giants, but more significantly, it
>represented the denouement of Pep Guardiola’s time at the
>club.
>
>Barcelona had time to prepare for the midfielder’s exit.
>Guardiola called a press conference on 11 April to address a
>room of journalists, alone, to announce that the 2000/01
>season would be his last. Having risen through the famous
>conveyor belt at La Masia, the midfielder amassed 16 titles
>with his club. Still, a fresh challenge was desired as he
>entered his 30s, and pastures new awaited.
>
>Guardiola epitomised Barcelona. Principally, his style of play
>reflected the culture installed by Johan Cruyff during his
>time in charge of the team; he was intelligent, positionally
>excellent and was a master of manipulating space on the
>football pitch. The academy graduate had displayed these
>attributes throughout his journey from the youth team to the
>senior setup and was the prototypical La Masia midfielder.
>
>However, times were difficult at the Camp Nou. The 1999/2000
>campaign was undeniably a failure – Barcelona did not win
>the Champions League, LaLiga or the Copa del Rey – and the
>subsequent season hardly provided much more cause for
>optimism. The team exited the Champions League in the group
>stages, fell short in the UEFA Cup, finished fourth in LaLiga
>and, of course, suffered against Celta in the Copa semis.
>
>It was a disastrous campaign for Barcelona and it was one to
>forget for Guardiola, too. Injury problems saw him miss all
>six of his side’s Champions League group matches, and he was
>unable to replicate his flawlessly efficient showings from
>previous years. With his contract rapidly approaching its
>expiration, he decided to take a leap of faith and bid
>farewell to home comforts.
>
>Guardiola himself was unsure of where football would lead him
>next. Available on a free, he was not short of offers from
>potential suitors across Europe, who sought to recruit the
>experienced Spain international. Following a draining, intense
>marriage with Barcelona, though, the midfielder was keen to
>bide his time and sit patiently before jumping into a totally
>new environment.
>
>After playing his final match for Barça in June, Guardiola
>waited until September to commit to a club. Perennially
>calculated in his decision-making, he was desperate to ensure
>that this move was befitting of his ambitions; the 2002 World
>Cup was on the horizon and as he approached the twilight of
>his playing career, it would likely be the final major
>tournament in which he could involve himself. Regular game
>time would be essential, and in an attempt to ensure that he
>would be ready for whatever challenge beckoned, Guardiola
>employed a personal trainer to put him through his paces
>during this period as a free agent.
>
>Many expected the Barça legend to join a footballing
>heavyweight abroad; it was obvious, after all, that he would
>not play for another club in Spain. However, Guardiola has
>never done things conventionally and sprung a surprise when he
>completed a move to middling Serie A club, Brescia Calcio.
>
>Legendary players such as Roberto Baggio and Gheorghe Hagi had
>adorned the colours of Le Rondinelle, but they remained a
>somewhat unfashionable, lowly club when pitted against
>calcio’s many juggernauts. It was a coup for Brescia, who
>stormed ahead and charmed Guardiola with what they had to
>offer, on and off the pitch. “The team came looking for
>me,” the 30-year-old said upon his unveiling. “And
>wanted me more than anyone else in recent weeks.”
>
>Guardiola was impressed by his new employers’ pursuit of his
>signature, and the prospect of living in Lombardy intrigued
>him. Having spent his entire life in the familiar surroundings
>of Catalonia, he supposedly told his friends that his next
>destination would be predicated not only on footballing
>circumstances but on what its culture and lifestyle would
>represent. Brescia ticked all of the boxes.
>
>Gino Corioni, the club’s president over a 22-year stint,
>craved having global superstars at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti.
>He was obsessed with big names and was particularly delighted
>when he orchestrated the arrival of Baggio from Inter in 2000.
>Therefore, when Guardiola put pen to paper at Brescia, with
>six LaLiga medals and a European Cup, among numerous other
>honours, to his name, Corioni was in his element.
>
>The allure of the club still appeared rather unclear, however.
>Roma were thought to have been interested in recruiting
>Guardiola after they clinched the Scudetto in 2000/01, but
>this particular move was overlooked because of the player’s
>concerns regarding how much game time he would receive. It was
>clear that he had one eye on the season ahead, but another on
>his chances of flying to South Korea and Japan for the World
>Cup finals.
>
>Nonetheless, Guardiola took to the pitch at Brescia and
>immediately enchanted his new manager, Carlo Mazzone. The
>Italian was left stunned by the detail in which his latest
>arrival would analyse the team’s games, often joining the
>staff for lengthy conversations after matches, further putting
>his tactical acumen to the test. While most of Brescia’s
>players were celebrating wins or bemoaning defeats, Guardiola
>was obsessively picking apart the 90 minutes, searching for
>problems and coming up with his own solutions.
>
>Just as the footballing world pondered why the legendary
>Barça midfielder had switched the glorious surroundings of
>the Camp Nou for the somewhat less glamorous backdrop of the
>Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Mazzone was similarly curious as to
>what brought Guardiola to Brescia. In truth, although the
>appeal of living life differently in Lombardy had piqued his
>interest, the dream of playing with one man, in particular,
>emerged as a key selling point that no other club in Europe
>could boast at the time: Baggio.
>
>“Mister, I wanted to play with Baggio,” Guardiola told
>Mazzone, the manager would later recall. “I grew up with the
>myth of Baggio, they presented me with this opportunity, and I
>didn’t even think about it for a second.” The pair would
>enjoy a wonderful working relationship and the Brescia
>faithful adored them both, enamoured by the sight of their
>iconic blue strip adorning two of the game’s legendary
>players.
>
>Guardiola held immense respect for the elusive Italian, whom
>he was delighted to finally call his teammate, and displayed
>his affection for the forward on 21 April 2002 in a 3–0 win
>over Fiorentina. After months on the sidelines, Baggio
>returned to the Brescia side as Mazzone called upon his star
>man from the bench. The second half edged towards a tense
>finish, with the scoreline finely poised at 1–0 courtesy of
>a first-half goal from Luca Toni. Brescia were in need of
>points as they aimed to stave off the threat of relegation to
>Serie B, and Baggio was instructed to consummate a vital
>victory.
>
>The Stadio Mario Rigamonti rose to shower the attacker with
>the adulation he had grown accustomed to during his time with
>Le Rondinelle, but Guardiola went one better. Noticing that
>the Italian was making his return from a lengthy lay-off, the
>midfielder removed his captain’s armband and insisted that
>Baggio took on the responsibility as the team’s leader.
>
>The duo went back and forth on the pitch, generously offering
>the captaincy to one another while Mazzone furiously
>instructed them to promptly resolve their lovers’ tiff,
>until Guardiola eventually got his wish. Baggio, perhaps
>galvanised by his teammate’s gesture, scored two goals to
>secure a much-needed win for his club.
>
>Mazzone may not have been especially fond of the romanticism
>in the middle of such a key fixture, but he acknowledged and
>appreciated Guardiola’s selflessness, accurately prophesying
>his future in the dressing room. “Peppe, today we won
>especially thanks to your gesture,” the manager said to his
>experienced midfielder. “You will become the best coach in
>the world.”
>
>Guardiola’s first season in Italy had its positive moments,
>and he successfully helped his new club finish in 13th place,
>a point above the drop zone. He played in holding midfield,
>stationed between the more dynamic, forward-thinking players
>and the back-line; he would regularly drop deep to collect the
>ball, keeping things simple and attempting to lay the
>foundations for the attacking phase.
>
>The team’s forward players made penetrative runs, which
>Guardiola often found with passes of pinpoint precision, but
>it was clear then that despite boasting greater tactical
>intelligence than his teammates, he did not acquit himself
>with quite the same panache that had proven customary during
>his glorious spell with Barcelona, perhaps hindered by a lack
>of genuine continuity at Brescia.
>
>While Guardiola’s stop-start seasons of late had been
>consequential to the injury problems that riddled him
>throughout the latter years of his time at Camp Nou, the
>reasons were far different in 2001/02. Controversy threatened
>to jeopardise the legacy that the midfielder had constructed
>after he failed a routine drugs test following Brescia’s
>1–0 away win at Piacenza in October 2001, as he tested
>positive for nandrolone. Having been initially suspended
>pending a disciplinary hearing, it was revealed that, only two
>weeks after the victory against Piacenza, he tested positive
>again after Brescia’s 5–0 loss at Lazio.
>
>Guardiola was suspended for four months, in which he missed 16
>games for Brescia. He protested his innocence, vowing to clear
>his name, and proceeded to embark upon a long-winded legal
>battle. In 2005, some time after his spell in Italy, he was
>unsuccessful with his appeal to overturn the charges, which
>led to a seven-month suspended prison sentence, decided by a
>Brescia court. Under Italian law, however, Guardiola was not
>obligated to spend any time in prison, given that it was
>deemed a first offence and the sentence did not span for
>longer than two years.
>
>With the help of close friend and confidant Manuel Estiarte,
>Guardiola thought he had succeeded in 2007 following extensive
>research into the anti-doping legislation within sport. Again,
>he stood before a court in Brescia and was this time cleared
>of all charges, only for the Italian Olympic Committee to
>reopen the case in 2009. Eventually, Guardiola’s appeal was
>accepted, and despite being made to wait for nearly a decade,
>the then-Barcelona manager was cleared of any wrongdoing.
>
>His reputation was tarnished – unjustly, as it would emerge
>many years late – in 2001, and he managed only 12
>appearances for Brescia in all competitions during his first
>season on Italian soil. Having played 41 times for Barcelona
>in 1998/99 and 37 in his final campaign at Camp Nou, such a
>figure was unusual, and frustrating, for Guardiola. Mazzone
>and his side suffered without the midfielder: they won only
>twice in Serie A during this period. Upon his return to the
>fold, however, the Spain international turned in a typically
>metronomic performance in a 3–0 victory over Perugia.
>
>Guardiola’s prospects of making the 2002 World Cup suffered
>enormously because of the scrutiny he had been under
>throughout the season. Inevitably, he lost his place in the
>squad for Spain’s final two qualifying matches and was then
>excluded from José Antonio Camacho’s selection for the
>tournament, with a certain other La Masia graduate,
>22-year-old Barcelona midfielder Xavi, getting the nod
>instead.
>
>The rejection left Guardiola disappointed, but it did not
>deter him from identifying the next step in his club career.
>Roma came knocking in the summer of 2002 and the midfielder
>jumped at the chance to move to the capital, where he would
>have the opportunity to play Champions League football again
>and observe the methods of legendary Italian manager Fabio
>Capello. Experiencing new lifestyles played a part in
>Guardiola’s thinking once more; he was excited to switch
>Brescia for Rome, and he moved to his new home, not far from
>the Pantheon, absorbing yet more of Italy’s culture.
>
>Roma wanted to sign a new midfielder to bolster their squad
>following the disappointment of losing the Serie A title to
>Juventus by one point. I Giallorossi owner Franco Sensi, not
>dissimilar to Brescia chief Corioni, was a huge admirer of
>Guardiola and had attempted to lure him to the Stadio Olimpico
>from Barcelona in 1998. Capello, meanwhile, was unconvinced
>and preferred more physically-inclined midfielders, wanting to
>sign Edgar Davids from Juventus – but Sensi’s mind was
>made.
>
>Mazzone was loath to lose Guardiola and held him in incredibly
>high esteem. However, when it became apparent that Rome had
>emerged as a potential destination for the player, the Brescia
>boss encouraged him to make the move. “Pep, do me a
>favour,” he told his key man. “If you really don’t want
>to stay, you have to go to Roma because Roma are the team for
>you.” Mazzone was in charge of the Italian giants between
>1993 and 1996 and was well aware of just how special a club
>Guardiola would be arriving at.
>
>From a footballing standpoint, however, the transfer was
>unwise. Capello simply didn’t see a place for his new
>signing in the starting line-up, and as such, handed Guardiola
>just six appearances in a 189-day stint in the capital. The
>midfielder started only two games – one of which came in an
>undoubtedly stinging 3–0 Champions League defeat to Real
>Madrid – and was offloaded in the January transfer window.
>
>It was a classic case of a club signing a player for their
>name rather than their suitability to the philosophy and plans
>of the manager. Capello was reluctant for Roma to recruit him
>and this proved to be prevalent in the first half of the
>campaign. Guardiola was not strong, nor fast, and performed
>best when he was reliant on his exceptional reading of the
>game; in many ways, his intelligence masked his physical
>weaknesses. Unfortunately, Capello’s system demanded more
>powerful players and, as such, he had little room for the
>veteran.
>
>With that being said, however, Capello did have plenty of time
>for him as a professional. There was mutual respect between
>the two philosophers, with Guardiola often studying the
>experienced Italian’s approach to management: how he
>conducted his team talks, his tactical concepts, his
>relationship with the players.
>
>“He’s one of the few intellectuals I have come across in a
>dressing room,” Capello said of Guardiola. “Intellectual
>in that he thinks about a lot of things. A lot about football,
>of course, but also about literature and other cultural
>things.” The La Masia graduate had always been a quick
>thinker, on and off the pitch, and established himself as a
>leader at Roma despite failing to impose himself on the pitch.
>‘There are a lot of players who talk a lot and say
>nothing,” Capello continued. “Guardiola would find the
>right things to say.”
>
>Similar sentiments were shared by former Roma attacker Marco
>Delvecchio. “He was ready to become a coach,” the Italian
>stated. “If you happened to be sat beside him on the bench
>listening to him, he always knew where to intervene when
>things were going wrong for the team. He had a really clear
>idea of football. He saw how the game would unfold before the
>others.”
>
>After all, Guardiola was accustomed to watching on from the
>sidelines and gaining an insight into just what was going
>right or, as was the case in the 2002/03 season, wrong for
>Roma given his shortage of game time. “I know the bench of
>the Stadio Olimpico better than the pitch,” he joked in 2009
>when he returned to Rome as the Barcelona boss for the
>Champions League final against Manchester United.
>
>Capello, against the advice of his assistant Franco Baldini,
>decided that it would be for the best if Guardiola departed
>Roma in the January transfer window of the 2002/03 campaign.
>The midfielder had not been necessarily poor, but he was
>clearly incompatible with the manager’s approach. A young
>Daniele De Rossi was surging through the ranks at the Stadio
>Olimpico, too, and was deemed ready to step into the void left
>vacated by Guardiola’s impending departure.
>
>De Rossi was fond of his more experienced teammate, though,
>and lavished praise on his influence at Roma despite claiming
>that he “wasn’t in his world” at the club. “Despite
>all that,” the Italian said, “he tried with youngsters
>like myself and Alberto Aquilani to transmit his idea of
>football – his principles – which even then were the ones
>he put in practice at Barcelona.”
>
>Having played only 18 times in as many months in Italy, it
>came as something of a surprise that Guardiola was keen to
>extend his Serie A career, completing his second full
>campaign. Roma deemed him surplus to their requirements and,
>as such, Brescia needed no second invitation to re-sign him
>only months after he left.
>
>Guardiola again pulled on the blue strip of Le Rondinelle and
>looked at ease, spraying passes and initiating attacks for his
>side. His return handed the team a welcome mid-season boost
>and helped them along to a ninth-place finish, just seven
>points adrift of Roma, who endured a dismal campaign and found
>themselves in eighth.
>
>The 2002/03 season proved to be Guardiola’s last in the top
>flight of European football, and he quietly headed to Qatar to
>play for Al Ahli in Doha after agreeing to leave Brescia in
>the summer. He was certainly still able to compete at the
>highest level and didn’t look out of place during the second
>half of the campaign, but a lucrative move presented itself at
>a time when retirement was certainly edging ever closer. His
>last venture would lead him to Mexico, where he played ten
>times for Dorados de Sinaloa, working under Juanma Lillo for a
>brief period before hanging up his boots in 2006.
>
>Guardiola had developed a strong relationship with Lillo
>following their encounters in Spain and plumped for what
>seemed to have been a peculiar destination to close an
>illustrious playing career. The former Spain international,
>however, knew exactly what he was doing: he may not have
>played regularly for Dorados but he sharpened his tactical
>knowledge by learning from Lillo, as he did during the quiet
>spell in Rome under Capello. Guardiola never stopped learning
>and seized the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of
>how other esteemed coaches within the game carried out their
>work.
>
>In 2011, many years on from his two stints at Brescia,
>Guardiola returned. He always retained a fondness for the club
>and maintained a close relationship with Corioni and his
>family; this was evidenced by the president’s decision to
>extend an invitation to the Barcelona manager, offering him
>the chance to observe Giuseppe Iachini’s training with the
>team before staying for dinner. Guardiola obliged.
>
>Having transformed Barcelona following a difficult period, the
>former Brescia midfielder was considered the world’s most
>exciting manager. As such, Corioni could not resist cheekily
>asking his former player about the chances of him someday
>returning to Lombardy to occupy the dugout of the Stadio Mario
>Rigamonti. “President,” Guardiola said. “If I go back to
>work in Italy, it will only be to train Brescia. And I will do
>it for free.”
>
>Though hyperbolic in his vow to Corioni, the 47-time former
>international was entirely serious about his affection for
>Brescia and remains grateful for the experiences he enjoyed at
>the club.
>
>Whether or not Guardiola will return to Italy to test himself
>as a manager in Serie A remains to be seen. He has dominated
>in Spain, Germany and England, all while revolutionising the
>hegemonic playing styles in each of the countries at various
>times since becoming a coach, and his accomplishments in
>management have surely rendered his previous qualities as a
>footballer as secondary.
>
>Nevertheless, the eventful two years comprising challenges and
>setbacks that Italy threw Guardiola’s way undoubtedly helped
>to shape him into one of the greatest managers to have ever
>graced the game. Perhaps the best of Pep in Serie A is yet to
>come.
>
>
-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...
|
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
Okay Sports
