Understanding Pep Guardiola: Is His Success Created or Inherited from Rijkaard?

Every manager in the top flight of football has an era and/or a player or group of players that you associate him with. 

When you think about Sir Alex Ferguson you think about the 1999 Treble, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Co.

When you think about Arsène Wenger you think about "the Invincibles" of 2003-04, and Thierry Henry.

When you think about Frank Rijkaard you think about the 2005–06 Champions League and Ronaldinho.

Rijkaard did indeed have his own little era in the history of FC Barcelona. Under his guidance the team won their second Champions League title, successive La Liga titles and a Spanish Supercup. In addition to their success, then talisman Ronaldinho was twice named FIFA World Player of the Year. 

It was a team which functioned on the fresh talents of Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o, Ludovic Giuly and Rafael Marquez, along with the homegrown products such as Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta. Thierry Henry would eventually find his way to the club in the twilight of Rijkaard's coaching tenure. 

Despite his success with the club, his two seasons following the 2006 European success were a far cry from the top form he had previously attained with the team and he would subsequently be replaced as the manager of the Blaugrana. 

Enter Josep Guardiola and the rest is history. 

Under the former Barcelona captain came immediate results and records. Yet for his amazing achievements in such a short period of time, many consider his accomplishments inherited from the previous Rijkaard era. It is often said that Rijkaard's seeds now bear Guardiola's fruits.

Nothing could be more inaccurate.

It can surely be said that Valdes, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi made their debuts before the Guardiola era, however he had his version of fabricating a team of his own. 

Exit: Deco, Zambrotta, Edmilson, Thuram, the unique Oleguer and the iconic Ronaldinho. 

Enter: Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, Pique and Hleb, along with the promotion of Sergio Busquets from the reserve team.

With this assimilation Guardiola was able to reproduce the "Cruyff-like" style of football we have come to associate with Barcelona. While it can be said that Rijkaard did in fact produce sterling football during his tenure, the likes of that presented by Guardiola produced results unlike anything seen in recent years.

Apart from his signature style of ball possession, Guardiola also redefined the midfield from the previous title-winning core of Edmilson, van Bommel, Deco, Xavi (injured for the most of the season), Iniesta ( super-sub) and Thiago Motta to operate on the pivot of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. He would also try to emulate the success of Ronaldinho in the form the Lionel Messi.

Personally, Guardiola would produce his finest tactical displays two years after his appointment at the helm of the team.

Following the 2006 Champions League victory came the World Cup followed by Barcelona's preseason. For any team, both the mental and physical exhaustion would be imminent. Ronaldinho in particular was clearly fatigued and he would not match his former best in a Barcelona shirt. The rest of the team would follow suit as they finished as runners-up in the league and crashed out of Europe in the round of 16. 

Guardiola would seek to avoid this.

Eight players from Spain's championship team were all regular starters in the Barcelona lineup. Guardiola did not let exhaustion take a toll on the Blaugrana this time. Yes, they did lose to newly promoted Hercules at the Camp Nou in what was the most out-of-sync performance seen in recent times, but he allowed his team to recover their stride as they laid waste to Atletico Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia and Sevilla. 

Amidst the criticisms faced due to this early defeat, a draw against Mallorca and an unusually low number of goals, Guardiola ensured his team peaked at the right time before, during and even after El Clasico. Contrary to popular belief, Guardiola's team do not play total football, but there is something complete about the style he has employed and it is seen week after week both in Spain and Europe.

While it is still early this season to compare the results of Rijkaard, one thing is certain: Guardiola has created his own success. He has inherited phenomenal talent from La Masia but it is the way in which he uses this talent—how he uses a squad in which its depth is a concern to produce a seemingly flawless unit.

When you think about Josep Guardiola, you think about the ball possession, the 2-6, the 5-0, the Sextuple and the Dream Team.