I Want to Be Stronger Than Him!

When Messi knocked on Guardiola's office door, Barcelona head coach Guardiola was watching footage of Real Madrid's five-nil demolition of Xerez, especially the stretch after Yang Yang came on as a substitute. He studied it over and over with great care.

As a head coach, Guardiola had never believed in luck.

For Real Madrid to go from nil-nil to five-nil, something must have happened.

Had that change been brought about by Yang Yang? Or by Guti? Or perhaps both?

If it was both, then which of them had been the decisive factor—Yang Yang, or Guti?

Guardiola's opponent was surely not the only one studying this. Real Madrid head coach Benitez should be doing the same.

Only by getting to the bottom of this issue could he clear away the fog and see Real Madrid's problems more clearly.

Messi's sudden arrival caught Guardiola somewhat off guard.

The sensitive Messi had noticed early on that something was wrong with himself, but he had felt that it was a good thing, so he had not taken it too seriously. It was only when Messi came to him of his own accord that Guardiola realized he had still underestimated Yang Yang's influence on Messi.

"Have a seat. I'll get you some water." Guardiola kept thinking about how to begin this discussion.

Although he had once been a top-class midfielder, to be honest, he still could not completely grasp the minds of superstars of Yang Yang and Messi's caliber, because every one of them was unique.

Take Messi in front of him. He was sensitive and suspicious, sentimental and emotionally fragile. He was like a child who needed someone around him to shelter him from the wind and rain so that he could devote himself completely to the game.

Guardiola still clearly remembered that