At the very core, Pep Guardiola; the captain, leader, and midfield play-maker in Johan Cruyff’s incredible Barcelona Dream Team and one of the greatest managers the game has ever known, loves football and loves winning. But this winning comes with a condition – winning it the ‘Barcelona way’, that is, even after preparing the team to beat the opponent, if victory eludes, Pep wants the fans to take home the pride that the team tried to win it the Barcelona way.

   Pep Guardiola and the ‘Barcelona way’ can be taken as synonyms. The ‘Barcelona way’, an idea, a philosophy, and a particular type of football, started in the mid-seventies.

   Laureano Ruiz, in 1974, general coordination for youth football, prioritized technical quality, reaction times, and intelligence to learn and understand above all other factors; encapsulated by the drill ‘rondos’ – a form of piggy in....