Chapter 449: Chapter 75: Barcelona

This is also why Barcelona wanted to acquire him.

But after Ibrahimovic came to Barcelona, although his goal-scoring efficiency was decent early in the season, it was like Cristiano Ronaldo being criticized for being as stiff as a stone in his upper body while bicycling.

Ibrahimovic was also accused of being too “clumsy” and not moving much.

Later, he was blamed for squeezing Messi’s space.

Of course, Ibrahimovic’s footwork is unquestionably good; for someone his height, with such skills, you can’t find a second one in today’s football, but he still seemed somewhat lacking at Barcelona.

There’s a saying in football: you can tell if a player is rough by going to Barcelona.

If someone doesn’t seem rough at Barcelona, they appear as a dimensional reduction attack in other leagues, but if you seem very “fine” in other leagues and come to Barcelona, you’ll know if you’re genuinely “fine” or pretentiously “fine.”

Typical examples of this are Henry and Ibrahimovic.

Their footwork was excellent in other leagues, but at Barcelona, they seemed slightly insufficient.

Ultimately, at the root of the matter, from Guardiola’s perspective, he was satisfied with Ibrahimovic’s finishing ability and physical characteristics, but maybe his own tactics didn’t fit using such a tall center forward.

The presence of Ibrahimovic to some extent caused the smooth ball control in Guardiola’s mind to be less “smooth,” and of course, part of this is due to Guardiola’s “inexperience,” as he wasn’t at the level to handle a tall center forward effectively.

And Yaya Toure and Ibrahimovic are somewhat different; compared to Ibrahimovic, Guardiola was “reluctant” to part with Yaya Toure.

Because Yaya Toure could bring positive change to the team.

Yaya Toure’s ability, after three years of refinement, no doubt reached a peak; with the baptism of matches and opportunities, he could become world-class, even the second best midfielder.

(In Guardiola’s heart, the world’s best midfielder is always unachievable Chen.)

In terms of ability, Busquets and Yaya Toure each have their strengths.

Yaya Toure’s height, confrontation, and interception have reached a top-tier level; in single defensive midfielder capability worldwide, perhaps he is second, apart from Chen Zhong, no one would dare claim first.

However, Yaya Toure’s turning is somewhat clumsy, slower than Busquets.

Of course, this isn’t the biggest issue; the bigger problem is his ability to clean dirty balls and understanding isn’t as good as Busquets.

(Guardiola rarely has black players under him; perhaps due to disappointment in their understanding, or simply not liking them.)

At the point when Guardiola emphasizes ball-control rate, with Busquets on the field, the rhythm is smoother, whereas Yaya Toure causes slight insignificant stutters but strengthens the team’s defense.

Simply put, Ibrahimovic to some extent can increase the team’s finishing capability, and Yaya Toure can enhance the team’s defensive thickness; they both help the team, and their abilities are unquestionable.

They could become core players in other teams.

The reason for their “abandonment” isn’t a lack of ability but slight mismatch in Barcelona’s operation.

Most other coaches might accept these mismatches, or even sacrifice and adjust, but Guardiola sees this as unacceptable.

He is obsessed with tactics, hating two things most: when ball control isn’t “smooth” or when his tactics are seen through by others.

Guardiola isn’t normally decisive—at least not now; he isn’t someone who goes, “I don’t like you, leave!”

He’s more like, “Uh, this and that, I, well, okay!”

He drags you along, gives the cold shoulder, then lets you propose the breakup on your own, like that kind of “jerk.”

This is also the reason for Ibrahimovic’s later dissatisfaction with Guardiola; in his autobiography, he revealed he felt he’d “sacrificed” for the team but, upon expressing this in Guardiola’s office, wasn’t met with a straightforward reply, but instead heard, “What should I do with you, Zlatan?”

This behavior, giving “hope” when it’s clearly impossible, cannot just be called “jerky,” can it?

Next is Real Madrid.

If early in the season, people were praising Barcelona and belittling Real Madrid, now, amid Real Madrid’s great advantage in vying for titles across three fronts, people started praising Real Madrid and belittling Barcelona.

Some even think Barcelona was already at its peak last season.

And often a peak is followed by a “valley.”

Compared to Barcelona’s issues, Real Madrid’s problems don’t nearly affect the team.

One is the issue between Pellegrini and Florentino; Pellegrini isn’t skilled in relationships, even publicly criticized Florentino early in the season, saying club transfers didn’t consider his opinions, the team didn’t build according to his plans, and he even mentioned having ideas to resign as head coach.

Moreover, when Florentino made some “requests,” he publicly stated in front of cameras that he believed management shouldn’t interfere with the coach’s decisions.

All these make Pellegrini’s relationship with Florentino far from good.

Another is the subtle relationship with Chen Zhong; although Real Madrid’s performance is excellent this season, the initial “rebellion” by Chen Zhong was severely suppressed back then but has slowly surfaced now.

At this crucial phase where the team contends for titles across all fronts, the leaking of such news makes one “think carefully”; some believe it was leaked by Barcelona, others consider Real Madrid’s management might have leaked it themselves.

Because after this news came out, it had almost no effect on the team’s dressing room, as all the players are well aware of this matter; they even personally experience it, so for Pellegrini, who faced “two rebellions” where the initial league goal was simply to win a title and later, well there, gave up, then rush rush rush, won a title, it doesn’t matter much.

After all, he’s already found the “taker,” and for Pellegrini, instead of things going poorly at Real Madrid, he’d rather consider going to Manchester City to build his own “kingdom.”

They’ve expressed they would provide ample financial support, with Manchester City’s framework to be upheld by him.

Years later, Guardiola: Thanks for the massive constructions, iron brother, for laying down the possession football genes, which I’ll now carry forward and glorify!

Pellegrini has never felt inferior; he considers himself capable of standing alongside famous managers like Mourinho and Guardiola, just lacking the opportunity!

Of course, if staying at Real Madrid, he wouldn’t mind.

After all, who would refuse to coach Real Madrid?

The media’s analysis is merely a prelude to the national derby, while the battle itself is mutual criticism.

Early in the season, people spoke of C. Ronaldo and Kaka as major signs for Real Madrid, but when Chen Zhong led in the Champions League, King’s Cup, league, and even topped the European scorer’s list.

Most have already acknowledged Chen Zhong as the “sign” indeed.

This also partly due to C. Ronaldo and Kaka missing a month or even three months to injuries.

But the biggest reason is Chen Zhong resisting pressure in that period, and the team’s performance not fluctuating much, even excelling, which is the reason.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep