Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola (53 years old) has been a great inspiration for many successful coaches. But Lionel Messi (37) is worried about one thing.
– The Guardiola era has caused a great deal of confusion, says the Argentine in an hour-long interview with the YouTube channel clank!
Guardiola and Messi were the main figures behind the Barcelona team that dominated European football.
They won, among other things, the Champions League in 2009 and 2011, and are considered by many to be one of the best teams in football history.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is among those who have had great success with a style of play very inspired by Pep Guardiola, which is somewhat simplified around controlling matches by having as much possession of the ball as possible.
But it is not Guardiola's “copying” of top footballers that worries Messi.
– Everyone should play this way now. They ask children aged six to seven not to hold the ball for too long, but instead to release it with two touches, Messi says in the interview.
Messi believes this could be devastating to the development of young players.
-You have to do with the children as you did with me. We must not take away their spontaneity.
At the same time, he confirms:
Guardiola taught me a lot so I started to understand the game better, for example how to control the game with the ball. Football has evolved a lot and is very tactical today, says Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
