On Matchday 26 of La Liga, Barcelona take on Getafe on the grasses of Montjuic. It will be a tricky fixture for the Catalans, who have struggled against Getafe Azulones in recent games and have won only one of their last four encounters.
With the likes of Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid and Napoli coming up on their calendar in the coming weeks, Xavi will be put to a stern test not only in terms of his team’s clash performance but also his man management.
Speaking to SPORT ahead of Getafe’s clash against Barcelona at Estadi Olimpic de Lluis Companys, Getafe manager Jose Bordalas discussed several topics including his coaching style, Xavi Hernandez and Barcelona. He began by making a revelation, stating that Johan Cruyff was his inspiration from a managerial sense.
“I have always been a ‘cruyffista‘. He has been a reference, as a player and as a manager, a person who changed the idea of the game. What happens is that you can’t always interpret soccer as you would like because you have to adapt to what you have.”
“The coaches survive with results and I try to get the most out of my players based on the level they have and adapt my philosophy, which cannot always be used 100%,” he added, signifying why his brand of football does not necessarily match with the Cruyffian ideology.
He then spoke on the one occasion where he actually met the Dutch legend and went on to narrate the entire anecdote.
“I was friends with Marcial Pina, a fellow player of Johan. They had a great relationship. During a Barça match in Alicante, we visited the Hotel Melià. He introduced him (Cruyff) to me and we were chatting for a whole afternoon, they played at night.”
“It was a pleasure and I remember a phrase that shocked me. I had just done the coaching course and he told me: “Do you want to train?” I told him yes. He answered me: “If you don’t have good players, forget… (laughs),” he added.
Barcelona have won only one of their last four clashes…
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-02-24 10:16:57
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.The post Getafe manager talks Barcelona, Xavi, Cruyff, Guardiola, Ilaix Moriba: “Don’t think Pep’s shadow weighs on them” first appeared on Soccer News.
Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-02-24 10:20:52
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.