Txiki (2): "The players are very loyal to the coach"

In his first interview to a paper in two years, Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain talked to Catalan sports paper Sport about the past months and the current situation of the club.

(you can read the first part of this interview here)

Little more than 100 days have passed and Guardiola has already put his mark. Cruijff and Rijkaard needed much more time to convince...

I like a lot how Guardiola's Barcelona is playing. As a spectactor, I'm enjoying myself.

It was a surprise to you that the players adapted that quickly to his system, to his way of working?

No. I already saw it in the pre-season. This team plays and works exactly like Barcelona B last season in the fourth division. Guardiola has very clear ideas.

He's motivated?

Like everybody else. He knows exactly what type of football the fans want to see and puts his methods into practice with personality and character. He has a unique advantage: his own experience as Barcelona player during one of the best era's in the history of the club. The players believe in him, he has won them over, he convinced them. There's a big loyalty from he squad towards the coach. I like that a lot.

Guardiola has made the first team more professional?

We already had this professional level. What Guardiola has done is to bring in more people so we can have a bigger control in issues like injury prevention, specialized training sessions and so on.

You have always said that Guardiola was your first choice to replace Rijkaard. You nevertheless talked with other managers, like Mourinho...

My obligation, and the obligation of the club, is to have as much information as possible so we can then compare the different options and make the best decision. We signed five players this summer, but we have maybe talked with fifty, you understand? I can sincerely say that Guardiola has always been my first choice.

Didn't you take a risk?

No, exactly the opposite. Because I didn't want to take any risk, I chose a manager for the present and the future. I didn't want a manager for two weeks, for one season. I wanted a manager with a philosophy and methods that were good for Barcelona. You never know what will happen with a foreign manager who doesn't know the club. With Guardiola you had the certainty that he already knew all of that and knows how things go around here.

What is the identity of Barcelona?

A firm attitude to play nice football. Starting with the basics, meaning working hard and good during training sessions, because that's the start of everything. If you train well, you play well, because the talent is already there.

You're proud when you see eight youth players in the first team?

It should be a source of pride for everyone involved with Barcelona.

This was the second part of this interview. The other parts will follow in the coming days with Txiki talking - amongst other things - about the end of the Rijkaard era and the summer events surrounding Eto'o.

You can read the first part here:

Txiki (1): "Messi is the best player of the planet"