“He’s very smart, nothing escapes him” - Lionel Messi explains how Guardiola dealt with situation that left him ‘unhappy’ in Barcelona training
Lionel Messi recalled a touching incident with Pep Guardiola during his time at Barcelona ahead of the 2008 Olympics. In a recent interview with Juan Pablo Varsky on the Clank! Youtube channel, he recalled being unhappy during a training session shortly after Guardiola was appointed head coach in 2008.
This was due to the former Paris Saint-Germain forward wanting to represent Argentina at the Olympics.
"When Pep arrived, we had just started training and there was some buzz about whether I would go to the Olympics or stay. We had to qualify for the Champions League no matter what. I looked unhappy during training because I wanted to go to the Olympics, and he noticed. He's very smart, nothing escapes him," the forward said.
The Argentine recalled how Pep understood his feelings was considerate enough to let him go to the Olympics despite Barcelona's need to qualify for the following season of the Champions League.
"He got to know me quickly, I'm transparent. He said to me, 'Don't worry, we will qualify for the Champions League. Go, win the Games, and come back; it's going to be a long year and we'll enjoy it,'" Messi added. (translation from Spanish via Albiceleste Talk on X)
Pep Guardiola is one of the coaches who brought out the best in Lionel Messi during their time together at Barcelona between 2008 to 2012. One of his best tactical moves was to play the forward in the false nine position due to his excellent on-the-ball movements.
Messi and Guardiola together won two Champions League, three La Ligas and two Copa Del Rey titles among other accolades for the Blaugrana.
Lionel Messi reveals how Pep Guardiola came up with the idea of a false nine at Barcelona
In his aforementioned interview with Varsky, Lionel Messi spoke at length about some of Guardiola's tactical decisions while coaching Barcelona. One such tactic was playing Leo as a false nine. Messi recalled how the idea was born ahead of an El Clasico.
"I found out about the false nine the day before the match [against Real Madrid]. That afternoon at the training ground, Pep told me: 'I want to play with a false nine, so the central defenders won't have a reference point and you'll be one more in the middle of the field," Messi said. (Translation via Albiceleste Talk on X)
The former Barcelona legend also recalled Guardiola's advice to him ahead of the match which was to constantly connect with Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets in midfield.
"To win in Madrid, we need to have possession, be protagonists. If we want to win, we have to be far superior to them. I want you to come back into midfield, link up with Busi, Xavi, and Andrés. If their central defenders come out, we have Samuel and Tití who will run into space." And well, that's how we did it... haha," Lionel Messi explained.
Pep Guardiola's tactics clearly worked for the better, as his time at Barcelona is widely considered the golden years of the club. Since Guardiola left, the Blaugrana have won only one Champions League in the 2014-15 season and none after Lionel Messi left the club in 2021.