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As detailed in Jonathan Wilson’s excellent book, “The Barcelona Legacy” Barca’s players gave Guardiola an instant standing ovation after he appeared back after this press conference.
Up to this point, Mourinho had been sniping constantly at his great rival Jose Mourinho, with little to no reaction from Guardiola. This was the night all the pressure built up in Guardiola came streaming out in public for the first time.
Is the book any good?
Simply put, this book is brilliant. It traces the formation of both Guardiola and Mourinho as football managers, all linked together by the great Johan Cruyff. The Dutch legend imprint left on both is illustrated throughout this book, with some deep tactical knowledge highlighted by Wilson throughout the book.
The book could also add the name Van Gaal to its title, given that Wilson also goes into detail about this Dutchman’s time at Barcelona (Mourinho became his de-facto assistant coach, having previously been Bobby Robson’s translator).
I can’t recommend this book enough, it is insightful, funny, showcases deep technical football knowledge and is a pleasure to read.
Buy here.
If you’re looking for something else to pass the time, I can’t recommend Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Til I Die enough. Read the review here for season one and here for season two.
