Pep Guardiola's first managerial season at Barcelona was a real baptism by fire. In the late summer of 2008, the Catalans went for two weeks without a single win. Moreover, they lost 1-0 against minnows Numancia in their season opener.
In his book 'Pep Guardiola: The Evolution' the iconic Barcelona manager opened up on one chat with Andres Iniesta that made him believe and cope with the pressure.
As Guardiola was sitting in his Camp Nou office, down in the basement without natural light, pondering over tactical ideas, someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," he said. It was Iniesta.
"Hello, mister," he said according to the book. "Don’t worry, mister. We’ll win it all. We’re on the right path. Carry on like this, OK? We’re playing brilliantly, we’re enjoying training. Please, don’t change anything."
To say that Guardiola was surprised would be a massive understatement. But he was really shocked when Andres finished saying: "¡Vamos de puta madre!" It can be roughly translated as "We’re in f***ing great shape".
"This year we’re going to steamroller them all," Iniesta added and closed the door.
Latest news
