MvG y Los cuatro pilares de la salud

Mourinho versus Guardiola. Dos métodos para un mismo Objetivo. Quiero agradeceros a todos los que habéis apoyado este libro sobre Liderazgo (sobre las similitudes entre dos grandes líderes-coaches, básicamente) que en apenas cuatro meses, y lo digo desde el sano orgullo, se ha convertido en un fenómeno editorial. La entrevista a Leonor Gallardo y a un servidor de RAC 1 antes del último clásico fue escuchada en Cataluña por muchísima gente. Mi amigo Roger me ha informado de que “Mourinho versus Guardiola” fue el libro más vendido de esta temática (la relacionada con el entrenador del F. C. Barcelona) durante la semana de Sant Jordi. Este libro y “Liderazgo Guardiola” (que se publicó hace un año) son los dos más vendidos en 2011, y “Mourinho versus Guardiola” está a 500 libros de superar las ventas de “Liderazgo Guardiola” (y eso que en mayo haremos presentaciones en Andalucía –Sevilla y Málaga-, Castilla La Mancha y el País Vasco). A Leonor Gallardo le entrevistaron en TVE en directo para “la tarde en 24h” el martes de la vuelta de la eliminatoria de Champions (el partido de esa competición más visto de la historia, con más de 14 millones de espectadores, por encima de la final del Mundial de Sudáfrica):

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/la-tarde-en-24-horas/la-tarde-en-24-horas-segunda-hora-03-05-11/1090494/

y un servidor aparece en Eurosport en Gran Bretaña Cubeiro: Real to shine next season:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/19042011/58/cubeiro-real-shine-next-season.html

Iain Rogers, corresponsal de Thomson Reuters, ha publicado la siguiente crónica internacional:

“One intriguing sideshow to Barcelona's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid is the duel between two coaches who have a shared history and similar working methods but starkly contrasting personalities.

When the La Liga giants clash in their first leg at Real's Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday, the third of four Spanish "Clasicos" in 18 days, Barca's pensive, enigmatic manager, the Catalan Pep Guardiola, will again lock horns with outspoken Portuguese Jose Mourinho.

Sports psychologists and coaching experts say the pair, who inspire intense loyalty from their players, are adept at creating a training regime that gets the very best out of their hugely talented and expensive squads.

The main difference in their approaches is their behaviour away from the pitch, at news conferences and in interviews.

Mourinho, whose self-confidence is sometimes interpreted as arrogance, regularly goes on the attack, denouncing referees for alleged bias, criticising soccer authorities for not giving his players enough rest between games and clashing with rival coaches and even officials from his own club.

His strategy appears to be one of creating a siege mentality, where he is fighting to perform his duties and protect his players while having to cope with a high degree of adversity in various forms.

The softly-spoken Guardiola, by contrast, rarely criticises, is invariably polite and respectful towards opponents and rarely loses his cool in public.

"Guardiola's demeanour is that of a club coach, pensive, correct in his attitude, empathetic," Joaquin Dosil, an expert in sports psychology at the University of Vigo in northern Spain, told Reuters.

"Mourinho has the image of a coach who stretches the rules, aggressive, direct and ambitious," added Dosil, who has published a number of books on sports psychology.

"Both have similar day-to-day working methods in training, looking for dynamic sessions that help to push players to perform at their highest level."



CATALAN PRIDE



Mourinho, 48, was never a top-level professional and learned his trade as an assistant Barca coach under Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal when the now 40-year-old Guardiola was a hugely influential player there in the 1990s.

After winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004, Mourinho led Inter Milan to the continental title last season, disposing of Barca in the semis, while Guardiola secured the Champions League in his first term in charge in 2009.



Juan Carlos Cubeiro, an expert in coaching and talent development and co-author of the book "Mourinho versus Guardiola", said Guardiola had successfully exploited Barca's status as a symbol of Catalan nationalism and pride.

Mourinho was better suited to Real's more international outlook, something which fits well with president Florentino Perez's goal of making the club, the world's richest by revenue, the reference point for global soccer, he added.

"Guardiola is able to tap in to the atmosphere around the club which is like a family-run company," Cubeiro told Reuters.

"Mourinho has cemented more the 'Florentino model', which is more international, and you can see this in the number of languages he speaks," he added.

"Guardiola is very loyal to Barca and he always will be. Mourinho is a born traveller, the classic example of a Portuguese abroad."

Another of Mourinho's strengths, linked to his public persona, is that he serves as a protective shield for the players, Cubeiro said.

"This is something that has changed since he arrived (at Real) and something he does especially effectively."



POTENTIAL WEAKNESS



Leonor Gallardo, a professor of physical education and sport at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and co-author with Cubeiro of "Mourinho versus Guardiola", said the Portuguese is was possibly better at coping with pressure.

"He has worked in other big clubs, has changed those clubs a great deal and he is very well prepared to deal with pressure," Gallardo told Reuters. Guardiola did not have anywhere near the same range of experience outside Spain or even outside Catalunya, she said, adding that his tendency to work too much was also a potential weakness.

"He has aged quite a bit in the last few years and this is something you can see in people who work too hard.

"This is something he needs to be careful with because he is logically also very demanding of himself, the players and the coaching staff”.

Estos cuatro clásicos en 18 días los han visto nos 51 millones de espectadores. Dentro de 100 días, nuevo clásico, la SuperCopa. entre el 14 y el 17 de agosto: el Campeón de Liga contra el Campeón de Copa. Pero antes, el final de Liga (emocionante en lo que se refiere a los equipos que desciendan a segunda y asciendan a primera división), los amistosos de La Roja en Venezuela y Boston, las giras (a Asia y Estados Unidos el Real Madrid, por Europa y también a EE UU el Barça) y los torneos veraniegos en España.

El Barça post Wembley se reforzará con 3-4 jugadores. El Real Madrid prescindirá probablemente de Adebayor, Dudek, Kaká, Pedro León y cederá a Canales; fichará a Sahin, Callejón, un lateral, un central, otro medio y quién sabe si algún nuevo delantero (de nuevo, medio equipo a estrenar). He comentado en distintos medios que la temporada 2011-2012 va a ser todavía mejor. ¿Y en la política, quienes son los equivalentes a Mou y Pep? La más guardiolista, que además ha escrito sobre él (“Sencillamente Pep”) es Carme Chacón; la más admiradora de Mourinho es Esperanza Aguirre. Google frente a Apple. El combate entre ellas va a ser apasionante, porque me parece que son dos líderes como la copa de un pino.

A principios de cada mes me gusta comentar las revistas especializadas. Este mayo lo he hecho con Fotogramas, Capital, Emprendedores y hoy quiero hacerlo con Cuerpomente. El articulo de portada, “Los cuatro pilares de la salud”. Manuel Núñez y Claudina Navarro escriben sobre los métodos de Galina Shatalova, una científica rusa de 95 años que hace medio siglo era “coach” de astronautas soviéticos. Afirma que los seres humanos podemos vivir hasta 150 años, que es el resultado de multiplicar en los seres vivos por siete el tiempo que tardamos en madurar completamente. Los cuatro pilares son comer poco (400 calorías; reducir al máximo las proteínas animales), respirar lentamente (respiración abdominal, a 4-5 ciclos por minuto), caminar más (cada día, con la respiración correcta) y adaptarse al calor y al frío (entre 7 y 23 grados). Las nutricionistas Magda Carlas y Jordina Casademunt nos aportan sabios consejos para alimentarnos mejor y el médico naturista Pablo Saz nos invita a reencontrarnos con la luz, a tomarnos baños de sol curativos descalzos para contactar con la tierra.

Mi agradecimiento a Roger y a todo su equipo, con quienes da gusta preparar, escribir, publicar y difundir libros de Liderazgo, Talento y Desarrollo ligados al deporte (La Roja. El triunfo de un equipo, Liderazgo Guardiola, El Mundial de La Roja, Mourinho versus Guardiola y los que te rondaré, morena) y al coaching (Por qué necesitas un Coach). Es un honor y un placer compartir proyecto con vosotros.