An old interview but gives a flavour:
In an exclusive interview for The Times,Txiki Beguiristain talks candidly to Guillem Balague about building Barcelona and a possible move to London. (First published 24/04/2012)
Did you have a clear plan to build this Barcelona side?
Right from the beginning we sensed that we were going to create a great team, but we also saw how easy it is for a team to fall apart. A Champions League-winning team can break down much faster than you think. We won the league and European Cup [in 2006] and then, within just two years, everything shifted. We gave players like Ronaldinho repeated chances to get back to what they had been; we believed they deserved that chance.
In any case, we didn’t sit back for two years watching that same group decline, there was a process of evolution, the steady development of an emerging team, and the crowning moment in that process was the appointment of the new coach, Pep Guardiola.
How did you go about making the transition from the Ronaldinho era to the Messi era?
Ronaldinho was instrumental in the process. With him in the squad we were able to make the type of signings that we needed to build a great team around him as a central, emblematic figure. Other players saw that and smelled success; they wanted to be a part of what was going on. He also played a fundamental role in terms of image and global impact. So later on, when he ceased to function, it became very difficult to take that drastic decision, but action had to be taken. Lionel Messi helped us in that process. We had our future No 10 rising up through the academy system. There was only one ball and two No 10s, so there had to be a choice. Ronnie had his time, and then it fell to Messi when Ronnie’s performance was no longer as decisive in winning matches.
Was Messi always the central figure?
Messi started out as a wide player, but Pep has this ability to spot a decisive quality in a player and he wanted to give Leo the freedom to express himself in a role, gradually moving him into a more central position. Messi has made that position his own. His role has evolved under Guardiola.
Why did you bring Guardiola back to the club?
Pep talks, eats, and breathes football. He’s a great fan of the game and he wanted to start coaching. We decided to let him begin with Barcelona B. We soon concluded that he had the capacity beyond what he had demonstrated in winning promotion from the third division, that he could step up to the first team and build an outstanding side.
Can the Barcelona model be exported to other teams, other countries?
I think so, but you must be certain that is what you want. Barcelona have had an advantage over the rest because this is a culmination of something 30 years in the making. We’ve arrived at a point where half the squad are home-grown. It cannot be done overnight.
Did Chelsea approach you about a job?
Back when I left Barcelona we had a few chats about my role at the club and how that would fit at Chelsea, but we didn’t come to any sort of agreement. There’s been nothing since. It happened a couple of years ago. Roman Abramovich has an idea of how he wants to run a club, how to achieve success, organise things. It’s not enough to have a technical director who only deals with the academy and grassroots work; he’s also got to be able to influence the first team as well and be able to take the vision forward. It’s pointless having a technical director getting the grassroots football to go in one direction and develop a style of play if the first-team coach does not agree with those ideas. All that is what I conveyed to them at that time, but in the end it was something that we couldn’t agree upon. But we do still have a very good relationship.
How do you see the Barca-Chelsea second leg panning out?
Chelsea are a team that defends really well and they are a very physical side. It will be hard for them. They will have to chase possession, their forwards will be exhausted and this could tell in front of goal unless they can score early or keep the ball too. Chelsea need their dynamic players in midfield to break up Barcelona’s rhythm, which is something they can do if they can impose themselves physically. And of course there’s Messi to stop, too. Barcelona are the favourites.
Is Messi the best ever?
I’ve never seen anyone come close to what Messi has achieved in the sense that he is imposing himself upon the elite competition at a time when the game has evolved tremendously in terms of the physical capacity of professional players. Players are now more capable of using their physical traits — pace, power — to overcome the technical ability of a player like Messi. Yet in the modern game he is able to do what he does, when it is much harder than before. And he’s still young. If he can avoid injury, how many league titles and Champions Leagues will he have by the time he’s finished?
• Txiki Begiristain was technical director of Barcelona from 2003-10
