Exclusive: The difference between Pep Guardiola and Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona according to William Gallas

This interview was conducted alongside Lord Ping.

Where exactly are Barcelona under Xavi Hernandez? The former legendary midfielder has played under all of the fathers of Barcelona’s modern history, and yet still his side lacks a clear identity on the pitch, or certainly not one that comes from any of his coaches.

Coming through under Louis van Gaal, experiencing his first major spell of success with Frank Rijkaard, and cementing his place on the pantheon of midfield greats at the hand of Pep Guardiola, all three had a major impact on the Blaugrana coach. Van Gaal is known for his rigid positional play, and certainly the early versions of Xavi’s Barcelona were centred around width coming from the wingers on both flanks.

Having recently passed the two-year mark since he took over, it seems fair to say that Xavi’s Barcelona are closest to that Rijkaard, rather than Guardiola. Having played against two of Barcelona’s great sides in the 21st century, first for Chelsea and then for Arsenal, William Gallas told Football Espana what stood out to him as the key difference, being on the other side.

“It was a different period. Rijkaard’s Barcelona had Deco, Ronaldinho and a younger Lionel Messi. It was more individual than Pep’s Barcelona. They relied more on individuals. As Pep came in, Guardiola brought in more movement, playing more as a team. It would be a good game to watch to see Rijkaard’s Barcelona vs Guardiola’s Barcelona.”

Gallas was involved in three of the most iconic European ties involving Barcelona, and indeed, Lionel Messi. In 2009, Messi scored four against Arsenal at Camp Nou in a 6-3 aggregate win. In 2005, Chelsea knocked Barcelona out, but conceded one of the most memorable Ronaldinho goals of all time, his chipped