Barcelona forward Ferran Torres has provided insights into the distinct experiences of playing for two of the world’s premier managers, Pep Guardiola and Xavi.
Torres initially joined Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City from Valencia in the summer of 2020, spending a year and a-half in England before returning to Spain with Barcelona in January 2022, under the management of Xavi.
The 23-year-old shared his unique perspective on playing for both managers in an interview on The Wild Project YouTube channel, expressing his admiration for Pep Guardiola, widely recognized as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game.
“It’s crazy – how he plans training – 27 out of the 24 hours he has in the day, he’s watching football and improving,” Torres said.
“What impressed me the most is that in the talks before the games he tells you what’s going to happen – you stand here, your teammate will be there, and then you’ll give it to him. And then it happens! The worst thing is that it happens!”
Torres continued his description of working with Xavi, hailing him as Barcelona’s “perfect” coach at the moment and placing a little more emphasis on man-management and individual growth.
“He likes to push the player to bring out the best version of the footballer because you need it. He follows the philosophy of Pep, Luis Enrique and the Barca school very much,” Torres continued.
“He is a perfect coach for Barca. Little by little he is changing the system, because football is constantly evolving. Above all, his desire to improve, he always thinks what he can do to help the footballer.
“Now he’s obviously getting pissed off at us because we’re not playing at our best level. But he’s also giving us peace of mind because the season is so long, this is a cross-country race and not a sprint.”
Barcelona return to La Liga play on Saturday, away at Rayo Vallecano, hoping to regain domestic form after finishing third in the standings before the November international break, trailing rivals Real Madrid and surprise leaders Girona.