Take the ball, pass the ball. It’s not just a philosophy for Pep Guardiola but a mantra and an obsession. Those words spawned a film about his years making Barcelona the greatest team of the modern era and formed the basis of the three teams he’s managed to win a raft of trophies with.
When Guardiola looks for a player, it is essential they can take the ball and pass it.
The importance of doing so was drilled into him by Johan Cruyff and while it took time to understand the methodology – Michael Laudrup impishly used to call him 'Pep Two Feet' as he would often take too many touches in training – he’s now the ultimate tutor, taking those who want to learn to new levels.