Barcelona's Key to Success: Pep Guardiola's Suit?

Players, fans, and journalists alike are coming in from all parts of the world to hail Lionel Messi as one of the all-time greats, and the 2010 Catalan colossus FC Barcelona as the one of the greatest ever footballing teams.

But what exactly is the key to their success? Is it the wonders of Messi? Maybe the total midfield domination with Xavi, Iniesta, and Co.? Or perhaps even the heroic, rock-solid defending of Carles Puyol et al?

According to the psychologists and suit experts in FourFourTwo Magazine, it's none of the above, but rather Barca manager Pep Guardiola. And not just for his mastermind tactics and brilliant man-management.

It's the psychology of Guardiola's uber-cool suit that apparently has profound effects on the performances of his superstar team.

Moises Rodriguez, friend of Pep Guardiola and owner of the store where Guardiola buys several of his suits, says "the whole suit thing is his idea."

"It epitomises his managerial style and shows the players and the president he means business.

"There's no one mouthing off in the press these days and no one interfering with how the team is run."

Body language analyst Judi James believes Guardiola's suit emphasises his authority, commenting that "the psychological impact of his dress style comes from its complete incongruence."

"On the surface he takes classic tailoring very seriously, yet he takes his designer suit and mashes the heart out of it, tying his tie too short and crumpling the front of the suit.

"This suggests a sense of power, as though he wears the suit instead of allowing it to wear him.

"His overall look is inspirational for the team, showing the rewards of good play and classy behaviour, but the subsequent GBH of the threads warns them he fears no one."

And according to James, Guardiola's style shows the Spanish coach has an eye for detail.

She continues, "[Guardiola's suit is] nearly all in the cut and detail, which would suggest to his players he's a stickler for the technical aspects of the game, rather than the passion.

"And the way he chooses his ties to match the suit suggests a rather clinical eye too, which could intimidate the players and keep them in line."

So, are these people simply reading too much into a bit of tailoring? Or is it one of the vital secrets to his incredible managerial success?

At the current rate of performances from FC Barcelona so far under Pep Guardiola, you'd have to say it's the latter.