GUARDIOLA SAYS HE OWES IT ALL TO EX-BARCA PAL
PEP GUARDIOLA has paid tribute to the man who set him on the road to managerial superstardom.
Guardiola says he owes it all to Txiki Begiristain after he took a gamble to make him Barcelona boss in 2008.
The duo have teamed up again at Manchester City.
And while Guardiola revealed he could have joined City sooner than he did, he revealed he would not be there at all were it not for sporting director Begiristain.
The pair have been friends since they were team-mates in Barca’s dream team that won the club’s first European Cup in 1992.
Begiristain went on to join the Nou Camp board and had a huge role in promoting Guardiola from his role as a rookie ‘B’ team coach to first team boss, instead of appointing a certain Jose Mourinho.
Nobody
His instincts proved right, with Guardiola delivering 14 trophies in just four seasons, including six in his first 18 months in charge.
“Txiki was so, so important in my life,” said Guardiola.
“When I was absolutely nobody and nothing, they trusted me to handle Barcelona, an amazing club with amazing players.
“I said to him, ‘Once I go to England and you are with a club, I will go to you’. It was so important to me that Txiki was here.
“Txiki convinced me about the club, many things. That’s why I decided to come.”
Guardiola took a 12-month sabbatical after leaving Barca, before announcing he would return as Bayern Munich boss. Three successive Bundesliga titles followed, although ® not the Champions League victory he was expected to deliver.
Guardiola admitted he always knew he would have to prove himself in the Premier League at some stage.
He said: “I went to New York with the family because I was so tired (after Barca). My energy was spent, it was empty. So I went there to improve my English and rest.
“If Bayern Munich had not come for me, maybe I would have come to Manchester City then.
“But I thought, ‘Bayern are calling and maybe they won’t call anymore’. I thought I was still young enough and had time to go to England.
“So I decided to move on to Germany and it was a fantastic experience.
“But sooner or later a coach has to prove himself in the Premier League and I will always be grateful to the people who gave me this challenge.
“Until the last day, I will do my best to achieve what we want.”
Guardiola’s first game in charge is tonight against Bayern in the Allianz Arena as part of City’s pre-season tour. The Spaniard will be without a host of his leading stars due to postEuro 2016 and Copa America breaks.
Guardiola has said one of his first challenges is to win the trust and confidence of his squad and get them to fight for each other.
“They have to understand that alone, they have absolutely nothing,” he said.
“You have to believe that together you are stronger.
“There is not one player around the world who can alone decide absolutely everything for himself – they all need each other. That is the most important thing.
“Every training session, every speech, every time we speak, whether we’re taking a beer together or whatever, I want them in that moment to see they can trust me. That’s the first step for me.
“We have to create a good body. I want them to feel that I work for them, because in the next action they have to run for me.”