with Pep was uh we need control. With Julian [music] is completely the opposite is that I want to be comfortable in chaos. [music] I am Tantra former Barca Bay and Liverpool player and I will going to break down and to talk about Guardiola club panchelotia and flick.
to play under gradola is to learn how football is and how you have to play the game as a team. How you have to face a team as well, how you can find the weakness of a of a team. First of all, while played a 4-3 very known, we have to have the value of the players, the huge quality that we had in Barcelona that he use.
Sergio Busquets had shifting him in the middle of the left because we have to create a space for Chavi to intervent initial part of the game and then finding Iniesta, Pedro, Messi, whoever who play in that position. We didn't use that much POL to go uh to make the the first pass of the game. But we used a lot of PK.
It was amazing how the team click at that time. They found the passes just right and going to the next phase of the game, next position, next area. So we were very delighted to see how players they they get to know very good how they play but most important how their teammates play.
[music] >> The most specific thing that Guardola asked us as number eight or nine in Barca's game or Bayern's game was to occupy an area of the pitch that we marked in trainings that that will be our area. don't move from there because at the end you will create a cows in the order that he wanted. So you have your your line that you have to have this physical thing that you go upside down all the time in the game but you have to have this because then one of the rules in the game is that for us in the midfield that passes must come in diagonal all the time and your control must be diagonal.
So we create this space for us to face the ball and receive in a position that you can with your first touch already make a pass or make a one v one to generate something extra for your team. So in this case if we occupy these areas we could see where our rivals are first of all because we have to find always the shoulder the backs. So if we move a bit for we can receive the pass and we are ready gain in a position to make the the final pass and and and create a chance for our team.
So I think it was that beauty that while the ball is in one side the other eight must be in a position already or to run through or to find when the ball shifts to the other side and creating a new situation. You have to think that this area for us as a number eight we have to be protected. We have to have this eye on how these three players must behave.
You are the guy not just participating in attacking but you are having an eye on these players here. When we shifted and we say okay we don't have to lose this player in an attacking position. We have to move him forward.
So mess is dropping here because defense will drop with him and and the wingers will will run here. There are two things or you run as a number eight or you wait that he runs. you're having one extra player here.
So you all the time facing um let's see a 4v3 four 4v2 situation here. So when you create this superiority here in the middle you will win the game because you will find this passes here. If you find this player this player just will turn and make difference if they press him.
So you have this the two wingers are they are dropping behind the the defense line. So you have these tools in your game that if you close your eyes you just make a pass. you you have to see them first coming and you just drop a pass because you know that these two players are running if Messi is is dropping back.
So you have this extra player for possession. You have this extra player to generate a super in the middle and drive forward. And you have this also these two players that they are waiting for these two guys to press Messi and they can drop in at the back.
When we play for Pep Bayern, he changed a bit because Messi you just have one is the only player who makes a huge difference a huge impact in the game as he does. So in this case we had Robin Abandowski, we had Rand Arjan Robin. You have three machines in front that they will score the goal.
And here they were very linked the fullbacks with the wingers. We have Philip Blam with Arjent Robin with Fran here with Alaba. So they were very connected all the time.
They were never in the same high, never in the same line. So when Frank was outside, Alaba was inside. When Frankie was inside, Alaba was outside.
So they will change and then they will mix it up. Then for us at number eight, we were I can say a team that Chavono Vidal and I that we have different profiles of players that a player that needs to have the ball and he can find different kind of passes because he has an amazing an amazing foot. Then you have Aruro Vidal that he's a a boxto-box player and you have myself that I I prefer to be an areas behind the midfield line to to find the last passes.
So I'm very connected to these players. I'm very connected with all offensive four players. You get to know that this player in in some point will will run.
I can be switched with Chavy knowing that this position I will lost a bit but you have to maintain a bit the structure as I said at the beginning your line and then you have Roandoski in front that he's not a false number nine here is a proper number nine if we have to stretch the team that those players can come inside and play as well. So instead of having a false nine and you create four more players in the middle you having five with them but also we you have players that they can be steady here for a long time. So you have these two players that they can generate you in the middle, they can generate you in the wing because they know that the fullbacks they are so so good that they will come to help them and make a final cross or a final situation.
What he's amazing is about recognizing how the players are, their skills, the weakness as well and to profile a team that embraces the way that each player is. but then putting them together to have a harmony. One of the main things of him is is about you have to be competitive and competitive means that you have to be hunger having this aggressive side of you that you want the ball when you have the ball to have the quality to make a a strong pass to make a good action.
So it's about that he's so competitive doesn't look like because he's so calm and gentle but you are competing it's football so you have to deliver in this case. So he expected that for the players. That's why he's very he relies a lot in the experienced players because he knows that they will uh deliver.
It was different was a 4231 that we have a number 10. The main thing I remember the change that we never as a number eight you have to drop that much back and for the first time you had to drop it here to make this 3v2 and then after that football is like that is a 2v1 situation all the time. So when you have the ball and the winger is coming to press you, you can find your winger that coming inside, you can find the number 10 is coming inside, you can find straight away the pass to the to the fullback.
So it was about to creating a 2v1 situations in every situation of the pitch. He got you the freedom that you have to have the pass but you have to progress. You don't have to take a look because then the the team is just shifting.
But was tough for us because if you are doing here and the ball doesn't go this side but suddenly you find the other pass is a way was way too long for us to cover this space again and join the team. It worked a lot. We were very successful for a period of time there at Bayan and I think was that massive change that was more direct the game.
We didn't have to find that that kind of extra pass all the time. We have to just find where each player want the ball in the space on on the feet or depending the where the skills of the players are. And the Hans flick uh we used to play a 4231 433 when we were at Bayan.
The change of a 433 a 4231 that we know is very important. The number six, the number six must cover areas that we don't use to uh cover. The number eight must always be in charge of the players that is in front of let's say the area of the ball and the other number eight more as a number 10 is related to the number nine because they both they're covering the defensive midfield of the other team and the six and the eight are covering the other lines of of the midfields or the attacking positions.
I played a lot as a number six with him as a midfield player. He loves that the fullbacks they press high to the to the fullbacks. So when we shift the game, we can shift with the other center back.
We can shift with the fullback. But sometimes this players is dropping and we didn't have time enough that our center back come here and the fullback covers the other number nine. We have to do that that the task.
So when he drops they drop and the mate must be clever enough to cover this area because if they don't find this pass they will try to find this pass to drop and to reach you to the weak to the weak part. So we have to cover this area. The other a must avoid that the team they can find the straight away the pass to the other side to your weak part.
So you have to be more intelligent. You have to read the game was incredible because it was pretty easy to understand the team was flow. You were there in the position when you know already that they're gaining the offside.
You already in the midfield. So they they have one player less and now suddenly they have they are playing with one player less and you can press them. So you are press you're pressing high.
The number six that run is already in a position to cover and they that was covering is already an extra play to press. So you fell all the time in superiority positions for sure. The the bad thing that we have is that when they find this pass and they can find a long pass to the other side.
But we had many many situations in in in Lisbon in the Champions League final and semi-final against Leon and PSG that they found away the straight pass to the other side. We were killed. But it's very difficult that this player can find you a straight away the pass.
I know one fullback that can do is Alexander Arnold that he can he can do that pass. the rest they need this extra pass [music] to play for Jugen in the in the time that we almost won the quad was just about to win Champions League one point from the Premier League title as well was an amazing experience we had great players with great energy very physical for the league but then we have this magic quality that we just created situations from nowhere so was a great team I was under German coaches before and you know that will be intense when they're in a period that they are not so good but they overcome is is because of the energy it's because of the intensity that they put in in a foreign training and then in games and with Julian was all about energy as I explained before with Pep was uh we need control rules that we we have to have before reaching the final area then is when liberty is coming with Jurgen is completely the opposite is that I want to be comfortable in chaos we have a very physical team that we want want to play the ball. We want to play straight pass in front.
We want to recover the ball and play uh front pass as well. What generated more benefit for the team regarding the energy we had is is about the pressure we did when we lost the ball. So we did I think was faster than ever saw in my life that the other team had the ball.
We were already like making a cage. We were all the time putting traps for them. So when they have the ball, we we just recover the ball in situations that already we can go with a 1 v one or we pass the ball and our attacker player was in a favorable position.
These two players as a number eight and number six I play in both positions. They are very linked. This player is always the physic profile that he will join more the attacking position.
This case I had with Fabinho, with Gini, Ronaldo, we have with with Hendo can play together, but we know that we have to be involved with these guys in the pressure and we have to be involved with these guys to attacking because they three they can do a lot by themsel because Luis D when he came he was outrageous but we need these extra players because Bobby was always a guy that he will always look more for you than for himself. So was a team that was uh as we all know was rock and roll and we were comfortable under under the chaotic situations. The game was to be everybody overall but we were very comfortable in these situations because we know that after that action it doesn't matter where you are on the pitch if the ball is here you have to go.
The thing that we change it when I arrive is that the number eight when we are pressing for example in this situation when the ball is coming this way you as a number eight you have to come here to press the rule number one that I had my whole career with for sure Barcelona school m school is about you don't have to lose the middle because the game is here so when you're here you're missing a play in the middle so it's a thing that we had to change because the teams They at the end they were coming with an extra player here. Our center back was not coming and we ended up with a 3v2 here. High energy team, high energy coach and I remember all the sessions were like nearly the energy was like a game [music] running without sense it doesn't as I said it's just running.
You have to run because it's a demand of your position. as a demand of your of your team under flick in buyer as a number six I run a lot but you have to run because the number six was like an extra defending sometimes because we were very aggressive but then in Premier League is because not just the way we play but also because of the league because you have much more intense players you have more physical players and you have to adapt you know that the transitions will be like waves all the time and you have to adapt to the waves you don't have they don't wait for the throwins they don't wait for situations happen. We always say that in in England they love to be in dual in one v one situation.
So for them a throw is a one v one situation. A goalke is is a one v one situation. So all the times coming this way that they are in one v one.
That's why it's not about because they are stronger faster or whatever. It's because they love that this players against this one this players against this one. And we all the time having to be against someone.
It's not about you're free. You have you can breathe.
