Interview with Nic Aldam - Author of 'Barca: The Guardiola Years'

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Nic Aldam, author of Barca:The Guardiola Years speaks on his love for the beautiful game besides giving his outlook on the performance of Barcelona, the 2022 World Cup, football and technology, and the plight of Asian football. Aldam is a well known personality among Barcelona fans in Spain and is currently a sports analyst for Barcacentral.com.

Since when did you support Barcelona and how?

I moved to Barcelona in 1989, initially with the intention of staying a year or two. However, I fell in love with the city and ended up staying, and with time I also fell in love with Barça but it wasn't immediate. I remember enjoying the street parties to celebrate the 1989 Cup Winners Cup and the 1990 Copa del Rey but it wasn't until the 90/91 season that I really started to care.

The semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup against Juventus that season was a thrilling affair and then I realized how much it meant to me when Barça lost to Man United in the final. Cruyff's team played some brilliant football to win the league that season but it was the 91/92 season with Koeman's goal at Wembley and the mental last day of the season with Tenerife coming from behind to beat Real Madrid that totally converted me.

Do you think Barcelona has lost their winning mentality since the departure of Pep Guardiola?

Probably the most important ingredient that Guardiola brought to Barça when he took over as coach was intensity. He's extremely disciplined and he expected the same from his players and perhaps it was inevitable that such an intense regime could not maintain such a high rhythm. It seems pretty clear that Guardiola recognised this and he was the first who realised he couldn't maintain the intensity for ever which is why he needed a year off before starting a new challenge.

It would not be too surprising if some of the players decided to take training a little easier or if their hunger for success diminished. However, I believe the current squad have demonstrated on plenty of occasions that they still have a winning mentality. Is it as strong as with Guardiola? Probably not, but I think Martino has done a very creditable job, especially given the little time he had to prepare the season.

What is your opinion on Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

I have no doubt that Qatar will provide first class stadiums and installations for the competing nations and there seems no reason why the organization of the tournament shouldn’t be successful. The fact that the tournament might take place in January or November is obviously a concern for the European clubs but I suppose Europe has no right to dictate the terms every time.

On the other hand I can't say the idea of air-conditioned stadium in the summer convinces me. The most obvious concern is the number of deaths of immigrants working on the project. Cheap labour is one thing but a reported 1,200 deaths is an absolute disgrace.

Where does Asian football stand on the global stage ?

It seems the national teams and club sides still have a way to go to catch up with the best in the world but there are plenty of very talented Asian players. Japan and South Korea seem to be the most advanced and they were obviously helped by hosting the World Cup. We’ll see what happens in Qatar in 2022 but I know there is already a big football following in the Persian Gulf as I get quite a few visits to my blog from countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The problem is that the best players will continue to move to Europe which makes it more difficult for the club sides and therefore the national leagues to improve. However, the experience that the players who move to Europe gain will eventually return to Asia. The potential is massive and there are an enormous number of fans in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Who knows what will happen when the Chinese get their act together!

What according to you is the best about of being a Barcelona supporter?

Great football. As I said earlier, I fell in love with the team when Johan Cruyff was in charge, and watching Stoichkov, Koeman, Laudrup and company was a real joy. I’ve been lucky enough to see players such as Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo on a regular basis and the present lot aren’t bad either. Besides that, the coverage of the team is fantastic when you live in Barcelona.

There are two daily newspapers, daily TV shows and radio programs dedicated to discussing everything surrounding the club. For a football fanatic it’s a dream come true. The politics can get a bit much sometimes but it can also be fascinating, a real-life soap opera followed avidly by millions around the world.

How do you look at the increasing influence of technology on the game?

I have no problem with technology when it helps coaches and players to prepare better for the game and I imagine it must have played a part in improving pitches over the years. Television coverage has developed more options though I wish they'd save the different angles for replays and not cut in overhead shots. For example, during live play, Goal-line technology will surely be brought in sooner or later which should avoid some embarrassing mistakes but I hope it doesn't extend to a video referee to judge other calls. The game needs to remain fluent and avoid too many unnecessary stoppages.

What is the attack-defending proportion in Barcelona's style of play?

I believe the basic idea at Barça is when the other team has the ball everybody works on defence and when we have the ball everybody attacks. Perhaps the most important philosophy is that the team always tries to take the initiative, if we lose the ball we try to win it back quickly, preferably high up the pitch in opposition territory, rather than retreating to regroup on the edge of our penalty area.

The possession game when we have the ball is designed to wear the opponent down, it is generally a very attacking game based on opening gaps in the opposition defence though it can also be used defensively under the premise that the opponents can't score if they don't have the ball.

Which are the current set of players that you admire on the pitch ?

As a team it's obvious that Bayern Munich are setting the standards now. Real Madrid has some fantastic individual players in Ronaldo, Bale, Di Maria and Modric and I like watching PSG to see Ibrahimovic, Mauro, Lavezzi and co. Elsewhere there are so many, I have tremendous respect for what Simeone has done at Atlético and others I like in Spain include Sevilla's Moreno and Real Sociedad's Griezmann.

However, if there is one player I regret Barça not buying it is probably Bayern's Javi Martinez who would have given us more options both in midfield and central defence. He's not the most skilful player but I love his character and versatility.

Thank you Nic for all your time and efforts and wishing you all the best in your future endeavors.

Follow Nic on twitter : @NicAldam

Nic Aldam’s book is available on Amazon.