Gudjohnsen: "Guardiola has changed my life"

Barcelona player Eidur Gudjohnsen gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.

When you're preparing a game, you now get more information about the opponent than last year?
We don't get more, we just get it in an different way.

Guardiola is more demanding than Rijkaard?
No, not at all. Pep is not demanding, Pep is doing his job. He pays a lot of attention to the details of the opponent. Where can we hurt them, what about corner kicks, set pieces... We're well-informed about the threats and the opportunities.

Guardiola keeps on reminding you of Mourinho, like you said during the pre-season?
Yes he does, but not as a person! I was talking about his style of coaching. Both are crazy about football. Besides that, Pep has been a great player and he knows how the players feel cause he felt it too. I was actually talking about the details. Pep is as focused on details as Mourinho.

What about the mentality?
They're also alike. They both work very hard. They are quality coaches who are always on top of the group. They have clear lines. You can relax sometimes, but you also should know when things are getting serious.

You think the team is more competitive than last year?
Could be. It should be clear that we won't win every game with a big goal difference. What happened over the last weeks, was a bit exaggerated. 5-1 or 6-0 can be misleading.

You thought you would leave the club three months ago?
At the end of last season it was almost sure that I would go. I had decided that I would leave because of what I felt and because of the feelings I got from the club and the fans. But everything changed when I talked with Guardiola during the pre-season. Guardiola has changed my life. He surprised me. He said: "Look, Guddy, I believe in you, but you have to convince me and give everything during the pre-season". That changed my way of thinking and I didn't listen to any offers from then on because I wanted to focus on Barça.

You're family must have been happy with the decision to stay...
I've always said that our live here is excellent. We have everything, but I'm a football player and I don't want to stay here just for the good life. I will have time for that after my career.

This was the second and last part of this interview. Read the first part here:

Gudjohnsen: "We're ready to play against Madrid"

Read more interviews with Barcelona players here