Barcelona legend is Hathurusingha’s idol
It is said that Johan Cruyff was the perfect embodiment of
Rinus Michels’ brainchild known as ‘Total Football.’ The Flying Dutchman
adapted to Total Football and became one of the greatest players and managers
of all time.
However, when it comes to former Barcelona coach Pep
Guardiola, he was born into Total Football; he was moulded by it. The way he
used his Barcelona team to display the brilliance of the system was mesmerizing
to the eyes.
And Sri Lanka coach is apparently a fan of the former
Barcelona coach. While he stated that he is doesn’t really have any idol, since
it often leads to people trying to emulate them instead being one’s own self,
the former Bangladesh coach did state that he likes to read a lot and named Pep
Guardiola as someone he reads.
“I don’t follow anyone because when you follow someone, you
can’t be your own self,” he told Cricbuzz.
“However, I learn a lot from the other coaches. I borrow a
lot of things [from them]. I read books to understand why the successful
coaches are successful. I analyse the teams they coach.
“I have a read a lot of books related to sports. I have read
Graham Henry, I also read a lot of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho too. I have
also read John Longmire’s book. I analyse a lot and watch other sports too.”
And he seems to be a very big fan of Pep Guardiola, whose
Manchester City side are on a roll with 59 points from 21 games.
“I am always curious about how the other famous coaches take
their teams to the next level, especially about Pep Guardiola. The things that
he has done with the three teams [Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City]
is unbelievable. He has set a new vision after coming to Manchester City and
has stuck to it.
“He never doubted his philosophy and he has taken the team
to amazing levels this season. If I try to do that without proper players,
that's not going to work. What I learned from Pep is that if you believe in
something, you have to back your judgment. His books are truly inspiring.”
