Andy Mittens article re Begiristain
<a class="postlink" href="http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1592538_special-report-meet-txiki-begiristain---manchester-citys-man-with-a-plan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... ith-a-plan</a>
Barcelona may have looked impressive, but the team which met Manchester United in the 2008 Champions League semi-final were less than their usual spectacular selves.
They boasted Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Yaya Toure and a host of other players who had won the European Cup two years earlier and would triumph again a year later, but they were off the pace in the league and Frank Rijkaard’s days as coach were numbered.
The Dutchman knew it and could do little to change the malaise at the club.
A mis-hit Paul Scholes’ shot defeated a Barca side who would finish the season forming a guard of honour for new champions Real Madrid in the Bernabeu before Madrid destroyed them 4-1.
Barca’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who joined City this week, watched on. He knew change was imminent and had long known that Rijkaard needed replacing.
The Basque had spent eight months weighing up a new boss and while club president Joan Laporta would have the final say, Laporta came from a law background, not a football one.
Begiristain’s football knowledge would be the most relevant.
Begiristain had been instrumental in bringing talents like Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Daniel Alves and Thierry Henry to Camp Nou. He wanted them to complement the home-grown conveyor belt of players from a youth system in which he firmly believed.
Now, with Rijkaard’s cycle coming to an end, he wanted the right coach to replace him.
Begiristain considered Laurent Blanc, Arsene Wenger and former Barca team-mate Michael Laudrup. He also flew to Lisbon, away from the prying eyes of the Spanish media, to speak to Jose Mourinho in secret.
Begiristain wasn’t convinced by the Special One. He thought Mourinho would do well and would even be prepared to play Barca’s never-to-be-tampered with 4-3-3, but he reckoned the Portuguese coach would be too bombastic, too controlling, too egotistical if they gave him the job.
Besides, he’d seen a genius at work on his own doorstep, a former team-mate now in charge of Barca’s B team in Spain’s third division. Pep Guardiola’s reserves were only playing to crowds of 1,500, but the future Barca boss was managing the side as if every game was a cup final, with detailed video analysis of forthcoming opponents.
Video: Micah Richards out for up to four months
They saw the way he trained with the team, how he switched tactics mid-match while staying true to the Cruyff-inspired philosophy of attacking football with which he’d been infused.
Begiristain knew all about Barca’s reserves. He’d been watching them most weeks since becoming the club’s sporting director in 2003.
He’d seen the future of the club with his own eyes in 2004 and made sure that he followed Lionel Messi to the FIFA under-20 World Cup tournament (where Messi had been the star) in Holland to present him with a five-year contract on his 18th birthday in 2005.
Along with vice-president – and current City chief executive – Ferran Soriano, they made sure that Messi’s contract remained ‘ahead of the curve’ – that is that he was paid far more than his status as a B team player on £2,000 a week.
Barca knew that Messi had many admirers and wanted to guarantee he wasn’t tempted to leave.
A 150million Euro buy-out clause also helped ward off any potential suitors.
Guardiola’s attention to detail impressed Begiristain, who recommended the 37-year-old as the club’s next boss. The choice was inspired, but then Begiristain was long renowned for shrewd judgement.
In England, a manager and his assistants will identify a player and ask his chairman to sign him. In Spain, it’s a three-way process, with the sporting director the most important person in bringing new players to the club.
Begiristain excelled in this role at Barca, signing world-class players without usually paying the inflated fees which clubs demanded when they knew Barca were interested.
He also helped push out Ronaldinho and Deco to create the space for Messi to thrive. It was Begiristain who saw Messi’s brilliance and acted, even ahead of Guardiola.
Begiristain did more than look at a player’s talent, he looked at his personality too.
Check out our player profiles for in-depth analysis on their performance so far
Not all of his signings worked – Zlatan Ibrahimovic cost Barca a club record 69 million Euros and lasted a season – but most did. Begiristain could afford some failures. He was already popular in Catalonia as a former speedy winger in Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ which won the club’s first European Cup at Wembley in 1992.
He didn’t get off the bench that night but he played 223 games for Barca in his seven years at the club, scoring 63 goals. Cruyff had signed ‘Txiki’ (‘cheeky’ in Basque) from his local top-flight club Real Sociedad in 1988.
Sociedad were the Spanish champions 30 years ago when Begiristain, now 48, forced his way into the side as an 18-year-old.
Few players of that age break into a side of champions, but despite being just 5ft 7in, Begiristain was unfazed by the pressure of expectation and thrived in the old Atocha stadium, a cramped English-style venue by the rail sidings in San Sebastian.
He was tough and he had an eye for goal that would see him capped 22 times by Spain. He also played for Deportivo La Coruna and Urawa Red Diamonds in a career which spanned more than 500 professional games.
With his time as Barca’s sporting director over, options were limited for Begiristain in Spain. Madrid wouldn’t have him because of his Barca connections, while any other club would be a step down. That’s why both players and officials look for a move abroad, mainly to England.
City’s recently appointed chief executive Ferran Soriano was key to bringing his former colleague to Manchester.
He knew that Begiristain has extensive experience and contacts in football, that he’s been part of a club who have triumphed domestically and in Europe and can translate his ideas into tangible success as part of a winning team.
Roberto Mancini will welcome the appointment after his fractious relationship with Brian Marwood.
The Italian will co-operate closely with the Catalan and the Basque, but he’ll always be aware that their former colleague and compatriot Pep Guardiola is currently unemployed, hoping to get back into football next season.
good intro about united and scholesy ....filled out in the middle with some stats etc....ending by Mancinis job in danger ...
.thats how i read it