Thunder was heard outside and heavy rains were pouring, which was rare in Barcelona in early July.

Guardiola sat near the window of Princess Sophia Grand Hotel Cafe, tilted her head and looked at the window glass blurred by the heavy rain. She couldn't see everything outside at all. She could only vaguely see vehicles with fog lights turned on in a hurry.

At this moment, he was in a very calm mood, and he didn't even know why.

He is very relaxed now. He spends time with his family, children, or walks around the park, but all this has become unattracted by the media as he leaves the position of Barcelona's head coach.

Or it should be said that few fans will care about what a former Barcelona coach is.

It is normal for people to leave and tea is cold. It is too normal for Guardiola, who has been weathered.

As a professional player, Guardiola is not a head coach who likes to expose his life in front of the media. This is even the same as Mourinho, but he was the once-Catalonian flag, and Guardiola couldn't walk around, so he came to the cafe of Princess Sophia Grand Hotel, sat here to read books and think about things, which is undoubtedly a wonderful thing.

Now, he finally understood a little why people in Barcelona like to come here so much, because here, you don’t have to worry about being peeped, harassed, and paid attention to.

It's like Guardiola, who can sit here for a long time, and no one will come up to disturb him. Even his cup of coffee, which has been cold for a long time, hasn't come up to ask, do you want to change it?

This is where Princess Sophia's cafe attracts the charming café at Grand Hotel

Sitting here, looking at the heavy rain outside the window, Guardiola was not in a hurry because he had just enjoyed relaxation, but he knew very well what he wanted. Even though he said he wanted to rest, he actually knew he was waiting.

He left Barcelona, ​​a whirlpool full of countless complex bonds such as interests, power, and feelings. He wanted to go to a place that is more professional, can give the head coach more room to play, and at the same time give the head coach enough respect.

Obviously, it must be Chelsea

I don’t know when someone came next to “Pepe”.

Guardiola turned his gaze to his side. Seeing that it was Cruyff, he immediately stood up from the chair. He pushed away the chair with his feet and made a sound. Fortunately, there was no one in the cafe, only their master and apprentice.

"Sir" Guardiola respects Cruyff.

"Is it convenient for me to sit down?" Cruyff asked with a smile, pointing at the table opposite Guardiola.

Guardiola nodded. He knew that this was a chance encounter because Cruyff also often came here to drink coffee. Perhaps Cruyff had the same idea as him, just to find a place that was not harassed, to quietly think about some problems, or to clarify some ideas.

If something really happened, Cruyff would call him to go to the White House directly, rather than come here to find him in person.

Sometimes Guardiola also finds it interesting. Both of their masters and apprentices still retain some of the habits they used to back then, as if it was natural. But in fact, Guardiola's coaching performance is not inferior to Cruyff, and his status in the team is not inferior to Cruyff. However, he still respects Cruyff from the bottom of his heart.

Perhaps, he knew very well that what Cruyff most admired was not his personal charm or his style of conduct, but his thoughts and understanding of football.

"Two big news came out today, do you know?" Cruyff sat down, called the waiter, ordered a cup of the uniquely prepared latte in the cafe, and asked with a smile.

"I don't know." Guardiola shook his head. Although he said he didn't know, he actually guessed something in his heart.

"The first thing is related to you," Cruyff laughed. "The media broke the news that before Abramovich decided to invite Mourinho, he offered you a sky-high contract, the world's first annual salary, and almost comparable to Ferguson's power at Manchester United, but you refused without hesitation."

Guardiola smiled bitterly, and he knew that this must be one of the things, because a reporter called him.

"I heard it was because of Ferguson?" Cruyff asked with a tentative smile. He was also very gossipy.

Guardiola shook his head hard, "No, no, Sir Ferguson hasn't said too much, it's mainly my own problem."

Cruyff smiled, "I'm very strange, because I know your personality. You are so strong, you won't let it go. You said you want to rest, that's just giving Roselle a face. You still long to coach because you still have too many things that have not been realized, right?"

Guardiola sighed. The gentleman knew him so much, and nodded, "Yes, but..." He shook his head.

Cruyff knew him very well. When he heard that he did not continue to say, the Dutch did not ask questions, but picked up the coffee and took a sip, waiting silently for Guardiola, the sentimental Catalan, would take the initiative to speak after he had been struggling.

Sure enough, more than ten seconds later, Guardiola tried to ask: "Sir, if you come out to coach again, are you confident of defeating Tottenham Hotspur?

This is indeed a very real or too real problem.

Cruyff was not angry at all. With his status in Catalonia, such a question was an offense, but the person who asked this question was his most proud disciple, so he only treated it as an academic discussion between the two masters and apprentices. If he could not even tolerate and accept this, then he would not be Cruyff.

"No" Cruyff's answer is also very real.

After a pause, he laughed again, "You are not willing to go to Chelsea because of this?"

"Not only, but also because I feel that it is difficult for me to feel enough respect at Stamford Bridge," Guardiola answered frankly.

Cruyff nodded, "That's right, only Mourinho's personality can survive in Stamford Bridge, and it's hard for you."

"I might go to Bayern Munich in a year," Guardiola sighed.

Cruyff was a little surprised, but soon understood, "A very good idea, an adventure attempt, German football is the second football kingdom in addition to Dutch football, which has all the offense and defense. Bayern Munich has a complete structure, healthy finance, and a deep foundation. Moreover, their leadership is familiar with football, and the team has been developing according to the laws of football."

When talking about this, Cruyff nodded in agreement: "If you go to Bayern Munich, it is indeed better than going to Chelsea. At least I think this team is well-trained and has the ability to dominate Europe and become a top team that is not inferior to Barcelona."

An important choice for Guardiola to coach the team is that it must have the potential to surpass his Barcelona team. This is a reflection of his strong personality and a resilience that he does not admit defeat.

If you can't surpass yourself, why continue to coach?

"They have been in touch with me since the summer of 11, but I didn't make a decision, and they contacted me a while ago, and Heinx's contract ended in a year and I might take over that time."

"That's great." Cruyff smiled and raised his coffee cup and rushed towards Guardiola, as if he was going to celebrate.

"But, I have been thinking about a question recently, how to defeat Tottenham Hotspur?" Guardiola expressed his confusion, or a doubt that has troubled him for a long time.

Cruyff just took a sip of coffee and put it down again. He looked at Guardiola very seriously and thought about it, "Listen, Pepe, Tottenham Hotspur is special, just like Barcelona and Real Madrid are special in La Liga. He surpasses all the teams in many ways."

"But I know very well that you have always said that on the football field, it is impossible for a team to cover all areas, unless they are superman, so any tactic has advantages and disadvantages, and as long as there are shortcomings, there must be a possibility of being used by the opponent. In other words, Tottenham Hotspur cannot have weaknesses.

Cruyff nodded constantly, "You are right, Tottenham Hotspur does have weaknesses and shortcomings, such as Pirlo, who is single midfielder, such as some other aspects, but they are available to their opponents, or there are too few opportunities available to them."

After a pause, Cruyff continued: "Some people say that Ye Qiu admires offense, which is right. He is proud of offensive football, but this does not mean that he does not value defense. In fact, what he has always pursued is not just offense, but a balance between offense and defense. He even wants to perfect both offense and defense at the same time."

"This is impossible" Guardiola laughed and shook her head.

"Yes, but this was his original goal and fantasy, but later he woke up, so he was thinking about how to make the offense and defense the best at the same time, even if it was just the strongest on the surface, so a very interesting thing was created, that is, he creatively changed the direction of thinking about problems."

"I don't understand," Guardiola shook her head.

"We often consider a probability issue when designing tactics. As Beckenbauer said, tactics are the probability of the head coach winning, and good tactics have a higher probability of winning. By the same token, tactics are also the probability that the offense can break the opponent's goal, and tactics are also the probability that the defense can prevent the opponent's goal from scoring.

"Every set of tactics will have weaknesses, and according to the normal head coach's thinking logic, it should be to make up for this weakness. For example, Tottenham Hotspur, Pirlo's single midfielder is a problem, Vidal can retreat completely, but Ye Qiu is not like that. He in turn, he lets you know that he has this weakness, but he will find ways to prevent you from taking advantage of this weakness."

"Look at him playing Newcastle. In the first game, Ibrahimovic played a huge role, but in the second game, the Swedes' role was curbed. In the first game of this season, you go and see. If Newcastle still sticks to the same thing as last season, he will die miserably, because if you use this weakness once, he will improve it in a targeted manner, and even when you use it, he will improve it, which means you are helping him make up for the shortcomings."

"He doesn't want the strongest and most perfect tactics. What he wants is the tactics with the strongest self-repair ability, the strongest adaptability and the strongest learning ability. So he said that failure is a elixir, and winning is arsenic, because failure can ⊥He and the team become stronger."

When Guardiola heard this, she couldn't help but look at her teacher, "As you said that, can't Tottenham Hotspur's tactics be defeated?"

"It's possible, how can it be impossible?" Cruyff found it very funny. His beloved disciple still didn't understand. "When Redknapp played Tottenham Hotspur in the first game, if his tactics were adjusted faster, he would take that game. That is to say, when you have the ability to take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's weaknesses, if he has not made targeted adjustments, or if you follow his adjustments and adjust again, then you have the ability to defeat him, but it's very difficult, very difficult."

"The Tottenham Hotspur system has no fixed tactics and no fixed formations. We even emphasize ball control, but when you look at them, they may not necessarily have ball control. Ye Qiu said, at most, it doesn't matter if there is less UU at most. You can play 40, and it doesn't matter if there is more, and you can still win 70."

"The teams nowadays pay more attention to integrity and emphasize frontcourt pressing, such as Barcelona, ​​Dortmund and Simone's Atletico Madrid, but if you look closely, you will find that their pressing is different."

"Barcelona, ​​Dortmund and Atletico Madrid all use high-level defense and midfield pressing as the team's core tactics, and use this as the foundation. Tottenham's high-level defense and midfield pressing seem more like a team's method. For example, they often grab this after the opening game, and it doesn't matter if they don't."

"There are many cases of Tottenham being attacked by opponents, but Tottenham lost without seeing Tottenham. On the other hand, if Barcelona, ​​Dortmund and Atletico Madrid don't press, they will basically be done."

"Bortmond's pressing is mad dog-style pressing. They have almost no reservations to pressing, and their position is even higher. They rely solely on the physical fitness and willpower of the players to press. If this team encounters Tottenham Hotspur, Klopp's famous coach position will definitely be defeated, because Ye Qiu's Tottenham Hotspur is their natural enemy."

"Atlancia Madrid is not much the same. His main pressing is focused on offense and defense conversion. The main purpose is to destroy the opponent's counterattack efficiency. If you can grab it, grab it, and delay it if you can't grab it, so as to win time and space for the backcourt. But you have to pay attention that the pressing of Dortmund and Atletico Madrid relies more on individuals to run."

"We are smart in Barcelona's tactics. We rely on the system. When attacking, we advocate short passes. Doing this can ensure that we naturally form a close connection between players and players when attacking, and form a numerical advantage in local areas. Once the ball is lost, the numerical advantage formed during attack can be immediately transformed into a numerical advantage in defense. The offensive players become defensive pressing players at the first time, so that players can save a lot of physical energy."

"So, when we hold the ball, we should be slower when we lose the ball, and when we lose the ball, we should compete with our opponents for the speed of offense and defense conversion to avoid being hit by the opponent. Dortmund and Atletico Madrid do not have such routines. So when they lose the ball, the players are farther away from each other, so they have to run more and consume more to make up for it. But the better thing about them is that there is always a large gap behind us. Once the offense and defense conversion is not done well enough, it is quite dangerous."

"I actually did a bad job of playing Tottenham Hotspur last season. If you briefly summarize it, Dortmund and Atletico Madrid pressed the ball, and we mainly blocked the ball route. The pressing of the ball handlers is more symbolic, and the people who assumed this responsibility are usually the core offensive players."

"The clever thing about Tottenham Hotspur is that their offense also pays attention to local area teamwork and cooperation. This is in line with us, but their control range is larger than ours. This is very similar to Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. When they concede the ball, the person closest to the ball holder is approaching at the first time, and other players immediately cut the ball route, but their cutting is not mainly aimed at the first pass, but the second pass and the third pass."

"That is to say, after they concede the ball, they not only predict the opponent's first shot route, but even the second and third shots. To do this, it is actually the key to the position of the player who is close to the ball. How he gets close, how he gets to defend, and what impact it will have on the ball holder are the key."

"There is another point, the key to Tottenham's entire tactical operation is in the midfield. When Ramsey and Vidal concede the ball, one must participate in the counter-robbery, and the other retreats in front of Pirlo, and the two central defenders behind Pirlo must be one to drag the ball forward and the other to the back. In this way, Pirlo will have two players to protect him, forming a triangle covering area, defending the middle, and forcing you to pass the ball to the side."

"After doing this, Tottenham Hotspur is not obsessed with ball control, because it is the same for them. What they want is offense and constant attack, so their offense is very simple and fast. Sometimes, you can't even defend it by passing the ball twice.

"Their whole tactics, from the front to the midfield to the backcourt, are tied one by one, from the left to the middle to the right, are tied one by one, just like in the midfield, Ramsey and Vidal often switch positions, but no matter which side they are on, as long as the opponent takes the ball to attack his side, he is the wing forward. On the other side, he will move to the vicinity of Pirlo and become a central forward. When attacking, they can move forward, form a front midfielder, and participate in the attack."

"It is precisely because of the frequent changes of responsibilities and positions that they need to run and have excellent athleticism, and Fabregas and David Silva cannot do this. As for Yaya or Toure, this player needs the team to play with him as the core, but Manchester City uses him as the core to form the midfielder, but he has become the most unstable core element of Manchester City."

"But Tottenham Hotspur doesn't play around anyone, they don't have too much fatal weaknesses to be captured and exploited by the opponent. The standards they need to choose are two, stable and fast ball play and excellent running ability."

When he said this, Cruyff sighed deeply, "This is an imperfect set, but it is better than a perfect tactical system. He guarantees the rigor and integrity of the system to the greatest extent, as well as the compromise of the contradiction between the adaptability of new players. At least, they have much advantage over us in selecting materials."
Chapter completed!