Pep Confidential (49 page)

Pep has put lots of emphasis on defensive work, with Martínez converted back into his third centre-half, between Boateng and Dante – the Spaniard will have the specific mission of keeping Lewandowski in his pocket on Saturday.

Over and over he explains Dortmund’s system of attack so that his men understand how to stop it. Javi is in top form and I say to Pep at the end: ‘Javi’s superb. He’s worked back up to the level of fitness he needs.’

All teams experience different phases, none of which lasts an entire year. That wouldn’t be possible. Bayern enjoyed a particularly fertile phase in February and March, then they went into a downturn in April but they seem to have entered another productive phase right now. There are still missing players, for one reason or another (Ribéry is out of form; Thiago and Schweinsteiger are injured and Mandžukić’s only interest is his next club), but the wheels are beginning to turn smoothly again, driven by Lahm and Kroos. The captain stands with Pep, analysing the best way of dealing with Dortmund’s midfielders. They both throw their arms about, discussing how their opponents will move. Lahm is a clear leader in this team, the head of operations. Tactically he is an extension of Pep on the field.

Toni Kroos is the other brain of the outfit and the coach seeks his opinion on his game plan for Saturday. It’s a private conversation but I overhear some of it. ‘That’s great Pep. I’m very happy with that. It’s the right approach for the final.’

Kroos is another Pep man through and through. He believes utterly in the coach’s playing style and would die for him out on the pitch. Even in training sessions he works himself to the point of exhaustion. He’s done it today, running his legs off even for those exercises where it’s not really necessary. For his part, Pep has complete faith in Kroos and tells him that Robben needs to stay fresh and to be fed the ball as he’s moving into space – not to his feet when he’s stationary.

Suddenly Pep introduces a whole new topic: ‘I was reading something this morning that your daughter posted on Twitter [it was a quote from distinguished Portuguese writer José Saramago: “Defeat can have positive outcomes and it never lasts forever. Conversely, victory can have negative outcomes, although it too never lasts forever”]. I liked it a lot and it’s certainly true. Everything is temporary.’

Every team goes through different phases and none of them lasts forever. Going by their performance in training, Bayern seem to be on an upward trajectory once more, although they must still prove it on Saturday in a final which they will start as underdogs.

He has already completed his basic game plan by Tuesday. On Wednesday morning he is working on his team’s defensive strategy and then after lunch works with his defenders again showing them Dortmund’s likely attacking moves.

He says goodbye to Mandžukić on Thursday, highlighting one of the other visible changes in his approach. He wants to tie up all the loose ends and therefore calls the Croat into his office before training, tells him he won’t be playing in Berlin and wishes him good luck at his new club.

Training has a light emphasis on explosive force and two exhausting tactical drills which are repeated over and again. First the strikers and midfielders practise how to pressurise the other team as they play the ball from the back. The seven players who are charged with carrying out this task in the final work on it time after time, without pause. When, finally, it’s perfect, Pep takes the defenders and goalkeeper and works on precisely the opposite, with the same detail: bringing the ball out from the back, starting with Neuer.

The main difference, with respect to the rest of the season, is that they’re playing three at the back. Under pressure from strikers, Boateng, Martínez and Dante move the ball from one side to another with Lahm’s help as he drops back from his principal position of
pivote
to help. Lahm’s got a hard task in front of him this weekend. Martínez is choosing all the smart moves as he practises and Pep emphasises to him that he wants his passes to curve just in front of Boateng and Dante to help them move forward on the ball, or hit a first-time forward pass, not stop to receive possession.

Robben’s instructions are subtle. ‘Arjen, just walk a bit. Wander from one side of the pitch to the other. Don’t burn yourself out running around. I need you fresh. Walk… but when you see that you can pick up the ball on the run then –
bam
! – off you go…’

This is a very different Pep from the man we saw in April, when he sensed that his team had lost their way and was trying to get them moving again. He is more laid back, and the players’ body language suggests his message is understood quickly and easily.

Thiago is going into the operating theatre just as his team-mates finish the most important part of their preparations for the final. This is their last training session of the season here at Säbener Strasse. First, it’s about defending corners – zonal defending. Then it’s attacking corners – to be taken short. Finally, they practise attacking throw-ins in the opposition midfield.

‘Lads,’ warns Pep, ‘it’s all in the strategic play for a final like this. We have to get this right.’

Their work is over. This has been an intense, detailed, targeted session. The coach has used all his analytical skill to ensure that his men have as many weapons as possible at their disposal. He hasn’t told them the line-up, but everyone knows who will be playing. This week they have worked with intensity and focus, keen to understand and try out every move he has suggested. They are off to Berlin to finish their season, the scene of their league triumph.

This time however, faced once more with the dilemma between passion and patience, Guardiola has gone for patience, control and the orthodox approach. This time he’s sticking with the plan.

65

‘JAVI AND ROBBEN, IN DEFENCE AND ATTACK’

Munich, May 16, 2014

AS THEIR FANS gather outside the Regent Hotel, just beside Unten der Linden, the capital’s famous Linden tree-lined boulevard, the players inside are enjoying some peace and quiet. On this, the eve of the DFB-Pokal final, they are feeling quietly confident and I grab this chance to chat about the season with the two men who tomorrow will be the the axis of the defence and the attack, respectively.

Javi Martínez has had an injury-plagued year. He has had two operations (on his groin and mouth), has twisted his ankle and suffered tendonitis in his knees, as well as two or three bouts of gastroenteritis. He has started only 19 matches, and has come off the bench in a further 14. He started 34 times in his first season at Bayern and 53 in his last season at Athletic de Bilbao. Despite such an arduous year, the Spaniard has been happy working under Pep.

JM: ‘He’s such a talented man, and it shows. Look at us now. Bayern is a team where you can see how much work has gone into each line of the unit. All of the coaches who have come along to watch the games or our training sessions comment on that – how everyone’s following the same script, from defenders to forwards, from the goalie to the centre-forward. And he also knows exactly how to manage the dressing room – how to deal with the guys who are playing and those who are not. He knows exactly when to lighten the tone. He does all of that perfectly.’

MP: ‘But he has a bit of a temper at times, doesn’t he?’

JM: ‘No, he’s not a bad-tempered guy. Obviously there are times when he needs to be hard on us, but only if there’s a good reason. You know, Heynckes was more than capable of that, too. Whenever Pep sees that we’re shifting down a gear or whatever, he’ll let us have it and he has no hesitation in coming down hard on even the most senior and respected of players, if he needs to. He’s the boss and he’s the one that lays down the law.’

MP: ‘When you came back from holiday last July and Pep was in charge, did you imagine that you would end up in central defence?’

JM: ‘Not at all. I had no idea what Pep expected. I knew from the press that when he was at Barça, he was interested in signing me for the defence, but I didn’t know what he wanted me to do here. Pep told me straight away that he wanted me to play as a central defender, but also as
pivote
too. He reckoned that I would make a good centre-half and said that he expected me to work hard to understand his ideas. In Guardiola’s football the positions of central midfielder and central defender are actually very similar. In fact the
pivote
acts as the third centre-half, particularly when we are bringing the ball out from the back. I like playing centre-half because I think that one of my best qualities is defensive concentration. It’s a key characteristic of mine and it’s imperative if you play in that position.’

MP: ‘Guardiola has made many tactical changes since arriving.’

JM: ‘Yes, we’ve been on a steep learning curve in terms of our playing style, as well as the role I and other players fulfil in the team. All the changes have been pretty significant. And the great thing is that we haven’t yet reached our peak. There’s still so much to improve. Pep works every day to help us perform even better when we compete.’

MP: ‘You’ve won three titles so far but also fell flat on your faces in the Champions League. Had the team become too conceited and complacent after so much success?’

JM: ‘It’s up to each of us to keep pushing ourselves, and stay hungry. We’re young guys who want to make our mark on football history and need to remember that it’s all about the present, not the past. We need to stay hungry. Bayern need to keep fighting for new titles. The minute we start thinking how wonderful we are, that’s when we’ll stop winning.’

I now turn to Arjen Robben, who will play as the central striker tomorrow. Robben’s experience has been the opposite of Javi’s – he’s never played so many games in any one season before. Recurrent injury was his single greatest handicap throughout his time at Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSV Eindhoven and, until now, at Bayern. But all of that is behind him now and he has appeared as a starter for Bayern on 37 occasions this season, and played a total of 45 games, in which he has scored 21 goals and given 14 assists. The best stats of his professional life.

‘That’s certainly true,’ agrees Robben, ‘although my first year here [2009/10] and last year’s treble win were also good years. Working with Pep has been brilliant because he’s helped me improve so much. And everything has gone well in terms of fitness, too. I have been injury-free since January 2013 and that has helped me maintain consistent levels of performance. But without a doubt the high point has been working with Pep. I love his vision of football, the way he thinks.’

MP: ‘What have you changed in terms of injury prevention?’

AR: ‘If you look back, you’ll see that things started improving as soon as I got here and things have continued progressively from there. I started to work with an osteopath, who actually started helping me in my last year with Real Madrid. I’m still working with him. I think that in my five years in Munich, I have only had two serious injuries, everything else was just little niggles. Usually players have fewer injuries when they’re younger but it has been the reverse for me and maturity and experience have helped me a lot. I am getting better and better at managing the physical side of things and am feeling great.’

MP: ‘People thought that you and Guardiola wouldn’t get on.’

AR: ‘Yes, I was asked that a lot here in Germany and in Holland. Everyone said that I had too strong a character and that Pep liked
tiquitaca
whilst I prefer to dribble. People claimed we’d be incompatible but I knew that we would work together brilliantly. I had no doubt at all.’

MP: ‘You were the star of the Champions League final which Bayern won at Wembley, but when you arrived in Trentino for the pre-season training, you didn’t act like a superstar. It was a pleasant surprise for Pep, I think.’

AR: ‘Look, I was looking forward to working with Pep as soon as they announced his signing and my expectations were more than confirmed when I met not just him but Domè [Torrent] and Loren [Buenaventura] too. I was totally up for his brand of football and I clearly remember our first conversation in Trentino. He said: “Enjoy your football. You scored in the Champions League final and you score in all the big games, so relax, enjoy it and take some time with your family, be happy.” Those were his first words to me, on the very first day. It’s a wonderful feeling when your coach speaks to you like that. It gives you such a boost. So we really started out on a high.’

MP: ‘Some players have said that although Heynckes created a fantastic Bayern side, things needed to change to avoid stagnation.’

AR: ‘I agree with that. That can be a real danger when you win everything. If you just go on doing the same things, following the same ideas, it can be disastrous and it is only too easy to sit back and relax after winning the treble. Bringing in a new coach with new ideas prevented the rot setting in. We needed to focus from day one.’

MP: ‘Were Pep’s ideas difficult to grasp?’

AR: ‘The whole process has been a challenge. For the players and for Pep, too, because he had just moved to a new country, he had to learn a new language – he had worked really hard to learn German before he even got here and we were amazed by how good he was at the start. The first few months are always difficult. It’s a process of adaptation for everyone, but we’ve improved a little every week, every month and have put on some storming performances, like the one against Manchester City. I love this style of football because it reminds me a bit of the traditional Dutch game, the football Van Gaal used to play. There’s something about it, this attacking style, always playing high up the pitch without getting hemmed in defensively at the back. I loved it from day one.’

MP: ‘Attacking so much and so high up the pitch is unusual nowadays and most teams pack their defences and wait for you to attack them. It will always be difficult to break down that kind of team and it must be tough mentally to keep going.’

AR: ‘Obviously it’s easier to defend than attack, but if you like to have the ball then you have to keep looking for new routes to do that, and building something is always harder than destroying it. In fact the
Míster
was saying only yesterday, “If you are a footballer, it must mean that you enjoy playing this game and our style of play is a lot more fulfilling”. Although I do accept that going up against a very defensive team is much, much harder.’