Interview with José Barcala: 'My players can go all the way to the moon'

José Barcala studied FC Bayern closely before taking over the reins of the women’s team. Navigation is a key concept for the Spaniard. Here he outlines his methods and talks about magic moments, music, and Michelin stars.

How well did you know FC Bayern before you started here?
José Barcala: "If football is your home, it's impossible not to know the history of this club. I've always followed the club, the great generations, especially Bayern under Pep Guardiola and Bayern under Hansi Flick. I loved how they built up their dominance over years and how a special winning culture developed."

What’s the FC Bayern Women identity?
"In modern football, you play different games within 90 minutes. It's all about navigation. We want to be a dominant team. But what does that mean? Sometimes being dominant means being precise, consistent and well-coordinated in positional play, breaking through the opponent's structure and creating chances. At other times, you build up pressure - with different behaviour. In other phases, you defend with a high press or a central or deep block. Being dominant also means understanding that you live in different game contexts - and being mature enough to recognise what each phase of the game requires. This maturity - navigating through different game contexts over 90 minutes - is what makes a top team strong. Playing at home against Hamburg or away at Barcelona is not the same. The identity remains the same, but the opponents force you into different contexts. That's why it's so important to be flexible enough to understand these contexts."

What are your key findings from the first few months?
"This team has incredible maturity. If you give these players a tactical solution, they implement it. They just need a clear picture. The ability to learn and the hunger for details are enormous: these players always want to understand the 'why'. In my eyes, this is crucial in order to reach the next level. You need this mindset to stay hungry after winning the double. And: Bayern never get tired of winning."

In one of your first interviews, you said you were looking for “magic moments”.
"The Hinrunde stats were certainly magical: 54 goals for and 4 against. That requires a high degree of consistency and organisation. Magic moments are linked to three factors: individual quality, coordination and interaction. The comeback in the second half against Arsenal was a magic moment. Showing some mentality after the 7-1 defeat in Barcelona, winning 3-1 against Wolfsburg and playing really good football - also magical. But the best thing is to look at my players and see how they look after and protect each other."

How significant was the last-minute 3-2 win against Champions League winners Arsenal after trailing 2-0 at the break at the Allianz Arena?
"I remember how difficult the situation was at half-time. We always take five minutes with the staff to prepare clips for the players. You can't stand in front of the team and exude doubt. You have to be convincing and show: These are the problems, these are the solutions. We're going to win this game, and we have the talent to do it. The players need to feel: Okay, that makes sense. That's not easy to prepare in five minutes. We were behind at the Allianz Arena, and we had shown a very poor version of ourselves."

How did you go about it?
“We approached the players with a clear idea: ‘This is what's happening right now. This is the solution.’ And they implemented everything. Since then, I've had the feeling that if we as staff are able to present these players with a clear plan, with the quality they have, they can then go all the way to the moon. Arsenal were still strong opponents, but the game had changed.”

An important message: always find solutions.
“If I had to pick out one thing from these first six months, it's the work we're doing in managing the game plan. Even during the game: these players are fantastic game readers. Believe me: they're under so much pressure, but they sit in the dressing room, things aren't working, they look at you - and they're calm. They listen. We go through the context: ‘The solution is here. We find the player in space there. The opponents press this way, so we have to solve it this way.’ And then they go onto the pitch and it's as if they're not just on the pitch, but watching the game from the stands at the same time. It's like they're playing with a new perspective."

What happened after the 7-1 in Barcelona?
"We looked each other in the eye and worked through the problems - the tactical ones, but also the emotional ones. We went into this match with high expectations; we wanted to have the ball, press high, dominate - as we normally do. But we couldn't do it. The first meeting after the game was very tense because the dimensions were so big. But we understood why we didn't perform and what we needed to improve on."

Afterwards you said: "Barça are the biggest challenge - but that's no excuse. We are Bayern!"
"We have the captains of Germany and Denmark and absolute leaders from England, Norway and Canada - a squad full of talent. The reason I went into this game with the idea of dominating was that I trust my players. We could have stood deep and hoped to counter-attack. But then my message would have been: I don't trust you to compete at this level. But I do, and nothing has changed. I said to the team: 'Maybe I was a bit naive as a coach, but if we were to play this game again tomorrow, we would change a few things - and still go in with the same idea. Because we are FC Bayern.' That was one of the key conclusions."

Many people would probably be reluctant to take over a team who have just won the double. You weren't.
"Because it's a dream. I've been looking for this opportunity since I started coaching at the age of 18. I've worked as head of coaching, head of methodology, assistant coach, athletics coach in men's football, in youth academies and in women's football. When you get an opportunity like that, you can't say no. After three years with Alexander Straus, this team has a fantastic foundation. There are patterns that have worked really well. Why should I say: ‘Now we're starting from scratch!’ That would create uncertainty, even though it's not necessary. So we keep everything that works - which is a lot - and implement new stimuli. It's not about a revolution, it's about evolution."

How important for your team is being bold on the pitch?
"It's about entertainment - and you can't entertain anyone if you don't take risks, if you're not creative. We have so much talent and quality in this squad - it would be impossible not to be bold with these players. Being bold is a daily process. It's not about not making mistakes - mistakes are part of learning. The key is to understand why you make a mistake. Creativity, innovation and boldness are essential. As children, players fall in love with the ball. They dream of doing great things. If they don't have fun, the fans don't have fun either. Maybe we'll lose from time to time because we're too bold. But I'm willing to take that risk."

Your credo is that our football must create space for innovation.
"I like to compare it to Michelin-starred restaurants. There are moments when you reproduce what you've created before - the menu that works. But if you only ever reproduce recipes, you never create space for innovation. Innovation takes time. Clubs need to create time to research, develop and implement ideas. A think tank for innovation and development would be ideal. That's the future."

You keep comparing your work to that of celebrity chef Ferran Adrià.
"Yes, because for me his world is also about peak performance and there are many parallels with football: You have ingredients, you look for mixtures, you want to be creative, and people have to like what you offer - ideally more than ever before."

Vincent Kompany likes a lot of pepper in his food.
"I like spicy food too. But what I really love is slow cooking - dishes that take three or four hours. Traditional Galician food like Fabada or Caldo Galego."

He said in ‘51’ that he wants a team with the force of a hurricane. Is that something you identify with?
"Why not, that sounds very exciting. I often use an orchestra as as a symbol: sometimes you play classical music, but sometimes you need heavy metal or rock. We have different musicians: One plays piano, one violin, one trombone. But when we come together as a team, we have to play the same song. We need a mind map of the song we want to play. At the same time, we can't always play the same thing. I enjoy positional attacks like Pep Guardiola - and I enjoy transitional football like Jürgen Klopp. FC Bayern with Kompany are a teriffic side - tactically one of the teams in Europe who are developing the most. The positions they adopt, the way they rotate positions, these ‘hurricane’ positions that make it so difficult for opponents to get a foothold - and the way they press high: That's incredibly impressive."

There are parallels between the two of you: You both got your first chance to coach a big team at Bayern...
"We're both hungry, this is the chance of a lifetime, yes. And we're similar in terms of the basic idea of our playing philosophy. We want to be dominant, aggressive, want to win the ball back - if possible - within five or six seconds."

What makes a player a role model for you - including off the pitch?
"People can hardly imagine how incredibly keen to learn and future-orientated these players are; they're characters and, despite all the demands of competitive sport, always focused on what they have in common. For me, that's the basis, the foundation. If you're not humble, it's very difficult to reach the next level. You have to be humble enough to learn - and also to accept that some things you learn won't work and that you have to get through it. For anyone who wants to achieve their dreams or goals in life, they are true role models of how to overcome challenges - individually and as part of a community."

Women footballers as inspiration for new generations.
"Ten or 15 years ago, young women players only had men as role models. Nowadays, they can look up to Giulia Gwinn, Klara Bühl and Pernille Harder. They have real role models. And these women stand for a fairer world. They work so hard for their goals, I see it every day: they deserve all the opportunities life has to offer."

Is there a difference between working with men and women?
"From a methodological point of view, you have to take various things into account: managing complexity, learning processes, load management, communication. Sometimes silence is more important than every word. The management strategy is also different - but it's not just about men or women. It's also about the context: coaching women at Servette Geneva or Bordeaux is different to coaching a team like Bayern with top players who are used to winning. My communication and the way I work at Bayern is only 40 per cent of what it used to be. For me, it's much more about intuition now. It's essential that a coach is flexible and adaptable - and doesn't think that what worked in Bordeaux will work in Switzerland and then in exactly the same way in Munich."

When do you consider a season to have been a good one?
"At a top club, a lot of things are measured by silverware. Apart from that, it's a good season for me when I can say at the end that we've helped the players to develop individually by perhaps five per cent and that the team has become the next version of itself: more flexible, more consistent, more resilient. A team that brings people joy, stirs emotions - and that the fans are proud of. For me, it's more about the way we win and the way we lose than the end product - even though that's the goal, of course. You finish a game, look at yourself and say: ‘That was fun!’ And at the end of the season, I want to say: ‘Wow, that was exciting!’ You usually come to that conclusion when you win. We have to win. Especially at Bayern."

The interview appeared in the February issue of the FC Bayern members' magazine ‘51’.

FCB Women will play their Champions League quarter-final at the Allianz Arena. All you need to know: