Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola's wisdom cannot be restricted to one single sport. A man who previously exchanged idea with the head coach of Bayern's basketball team, Guardiola has now offered his advice to a team competing in next year's Rugby World Cup.
Japan Rugby coach Eddie Jones has revealed how he consulted the former Barcelona manager for advice on how to make his team more tactically flexible.
Jones told of how he spent time with Guardiola, who he described as "the best soccer coach in the World", and learned a number of valuable lessons:
The main thing we learned this year was that we have to be tactically more flexible. We need to react to situations on the field and make adjustments to the way we play. The soccer approach is called tactical periodisation, in which everything is done in preparation for the game and in order to be tactically aware.
The Japan coach then explained how the two sports have some clear similarities and the advice from Guardiola would be very helpful to his team:
I watched Bayern train and had a really good meeting with the head coach and I really think we can improve greatly with adjustments in the way we train. He is the best soccer coach in the world and you always want to learn from the best. Rugby and soccer are very similar in that you always want to move the ball into space and Bayern Munich and his previous team Barcelona played the most fantastic passing game you have ever seen. The principles are exactly the same. The very best soccer teams vary their depth and formation in order to make the most of the space. So when you get the chance to learn from the best it's a fantastic opportunity.
It remains to be seen whether Japan will attempt to retain possession with small triangles all over the pitch, but they will have a tough task to progress from Group B which also contains Samoa, South Africa, Scotland and United States.
via Sky Sports.
