Samuel Umtiti admits that Pep Guardiola's style of play is less than impressive compared to his predecessor Frank Rijkaard. The Barcelona defender only moved to Camp Nou this summer and hasn't played under former manager Pep Guardiola, but in an interview with France Football, Umtiti finds Guardiola's possession-based tiki taka style to be a bit boring and adds that "It was less passionate. I said to my friends, 'I adore Barca but when they keep possession for 10 years it's boring.' Later their play changed again."
But Samuel Umtiti was more generous in praising Guardiola's predecessor, Rijkaard. "The period with Ronaldinho and Deco when they won the Champions League [in 2006], When Frank Rijkaard was in charge I loved watching them play. Their style, the way they kept the ball, the way they moved around it... no other team did that like they did. There was an incredible winning culture. The players never seemed satisfied. I almost never missed one of their games."
The one constant throughout all those changes is Lionel Messi, whom Umtiti was also unreserved in praising him. "[Messi] is so at ease on the ball. His talent is innate. In training he does the most amazing things, sometimes playing with us all as if we're just cones."
Interestingly, most fans would consider Guardiola's tenure in Barcelona to be the glory days of the club. Guardiola was at the helm from 2008 to 2012 when Barca won three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. After Luis Enrique took over, Barca's play became more open and direct, while continuing their success. The club won La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League in 2014 and defended their domestic titles in La Liga and Copa del Rey last year.