Johan Cruyff said that players like Iniesta, Xavi himself Pep Guardiola, Barça's current coach, could not develop their careers in another football team for their physical condition.
"I would have said, even before adulthood, 'you are not big enough and strong enough to turn you into footballers'. Not even had an opportunity to participate," Cruyff said in an interview with the weekly supplement of the French newspaper "L'Equipe, "which devotes a special Saturday at Barcelona.
The Dutch recalled that when he took the reins in the late eighties, he asked those responsible for the training center of Barcelona, La Masia, what was the best player they had. All replied that it was Guardiola, who played backup to the second team or owner with the third because it was "physically very weak." "I made alternate (the first template) and a year later played in the first. From there Barça's coaches began to understand that what mattered was the ball," recalled Cruyff.
The Dutchman praised the work of Guardiola on the bench for Barcelona and acknowledged that it has improved the system that Cruyff started the last century. "What I like about him is that he sees things before others. Or the others do not. Who would have thought that Mascherano could play in central defense?" Asked Cruyff.
Asked about the nicest anecdotes of his time as Blaugrana coach, Dutchman evoked a very special relationship with Brazilian Romario, who did not conceal anything. "Once I came to ask if he could smoke two days of training to return to Brazil, he must have carnival in Rio. I said, 'if you put two goals tomorrow, I give you two more days of rest that the rest of the team.' the next day, scored his second goal on 20 minutes of play and immediately gestured that he wanted to go, "he recalled. "I said, 'Coach, my plane leaves in less than an hour,'" said Cruyff, who left the star striker of the "Dream Team" will travel to Brazil, having fulfilled its part of the deal. (via SPORT)
