Pep Guardiola relies on his instincts at Barcelona
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has said he bases many of his decisions on instinct rather than deliberate strategy.
Guardiola has been in charge of the Catalan club since 2008 and can already count two domestic titles and a Champions League trophy among his achievements.
The Spaniard, whose team are currently second in La Liga, has often been praised as a master tactician.
But according to Spanish daily AS, Guardiola has said that above all, his coaching is based on impulse rather than premeditated strategy.
"I do what I feel," he said, speaking at a coaching conference in Oviedo, northern Spain. "I place more emphasis on instinct rather than logic, for example when making a change of players during a game."
Having said that, Guardiola explained that his paramount concern is how his team performs on the pitch, as opposed to the final result.
"There are no magic books for coaching. How the team plays, like chess, is the most important thing to being a coach, and everything else is secondary. Having lost at times, I have been more satisfied that when we have won."
Managing stars no simple task
At Barcelona, the former Spain international presides over one of the strongest squads in European football.
But despite the superior talent at his disposal, Guardiola maintained that he bears the ultimate responsibility for how the team fares during the season.
"If the team loses, it has been because I have not conveyed my ideas to them correctly. In this team, though, there are few egos," he said, going on to praise striker Lionel Messi.
"He bears the burden well of being the best player in the world."
Barcelona's next league fixture comes against Almeria on Sunday 23 November, after which the team will take on Panathinaikos in the Champions League before hosting Real Madrid in a much-awaited derby on 29 November.
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