Ferran Torres reveals differences between Pep Guardiola and Xavi
- Torres has played under both Guardiola and Xavi at Manchester City and Barcelona respectively
- Xavi part of Guardiola's coaching tree after playing under him for four years
- 23-year-old Torres spent 16 months in England before heading back to Spain for €55m
By Sean Walsh
Barcelona forward Ferran Torres has detailed what it's like to play for two of the world's best managers in Pep Guardiola and Xavi.
Torres signed for Guardiola's Manchester City from Valencia in the summer of 2020, though he would spend just a year-and-a-half in England before returning to Spain with Barcelona, joining Xavi's side in January 2022.
The 23-year-old has a rather unique experience of having played under both managers. Speaking on The Wild Project YouTube channel, Torres explained the admiration he has for one of the game's greatest coaches of all time in Guardiola.
"It's crazy - how he plans training - 27 out of the 24 hours he has in the day, he's watching football and improving," Torres said.
"What impressed me the most is that in the talks before the games he tells you what's going to happen - you stand here, your teammate will be there, and then you'll give it to him. And then it happens! The worst thing is that it happens!"
Torres went on to describe what it's like to work with Xavi, who he hailed as the 'perfect' coach for Barcelona right now and emphasised slightly more of a focus on man-management and personal development.
"He likes to push the player to bring out the best version of the footballer because you need it. He follows the philosophy of Pep, Luis Enrique and the Barca school very much," Torres continued.
"He is a perfect coach for Barca. Little by little he is changing the system, because football is constantly evolving. Above all, his desire to improve, he always thinks what he can do to help the footballer.
"Now he's obviously getting pissed off at us because we're not playing at our best level. But he’s also giving us peace of mind because the season is so long, this is a cross-country race and not a sprint."
Barcelona return to La Liga action on Saturday away at Rayo Vallecano looking to recover their domestic form after heading into the November international break third in the standings, sitting behind rivals Real Madrid and shock leaders Girona.
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