Xavi, next Barca manager

The former Barca captain was speaking to La Vanguardia about the prospects of him taking over as first-team coach one day.
Asked what he would do if he were in charge at Barcelona, he said: ‘I would sign wingers. Players like Neymar – I don’t know if he would fit because of the social aspect, in a football sense I have no doubts he would be a spectacular signing.
‘Barcelona have good players through the middle but they lack wingers like the ones Bayern have. They don’t need a lot of new players: Jadon Sancho, Serge Gnabry.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8164825/Xavi-gives-glimpse-Barcelona-line-took-Nou-Camp.html

Original quotes

https://www.lavanguardia.com/magazine/personalidades/20200329/4892755863/xavi-barca-catar-barcelona-futbol-entrenar-banquillo-xavi-hernandez.html

He will only come to start a new project.... smart of him not to want to mess with the old, washed up guard

not only awkward but also destined to fail

renews for 2 years with clause allowing to leave for Barca at any point.

I hope he does the right thing for his career. Stay far away until the old guard are gone.

@The Franchise

Thoughts on Xavi's adjustment when up against a 4-3-3? He said he normally plays a 3-4-3, but when he's up against a team that plays 4-3-3 he'll play a 4-3-3 so he can have a numerical advantage at the back. However, at the same time, he likes classic wingers who hug the touchline, yet he had his fullbacks wide too.

I'm not sure how many top teams actually have both their fullback and winger play wide these days. It's either the winger who tuck into the half-spaces like Liverpool does with Salah and Mane or the fullbacks tuck into the half-spaces like City does with Walker and Cancelo. Surely that 4-1-5 Xavi is mentioning would get raped on the counter against top teams?

Oh yes. Tiki Taki. This is going to be real good.

I can feel the looming hilarity tingle.

I think it just depends, different circumstances require different things. You normally don't have duel width on both sides of the field because of the inefficiency of defending transitions, unless your 3 midfielders never get ahead of the ball. But to me, it makes sense in particular moments of build up because it can create space inside for others if you have good rotational movements.

My take was it was just for a particular type of build up.

When Bayern lead 5-0 vs 3rd in the league in the first half, it’s another sensation and all hail Nagelsmann (rightfully so), but when Xavi’s Al-Sadd lead 3-0 vs 4th in the league it’s not taken very serious because it’s a non-European league.

— La Masia (@Youngcules) October 17, 2021

fair point?

Fair point.

Can't wait for him finally being given the job.

If it wasn't for racism and eurocentrism he would already be seen as up there with Nagelsmann and Tuchel

Hapless_Hans wrote:Oh yes. Tiki Taki. This is going to be real good.

I can feel the looming hilarity tingle.

It does seem funny but if you watch Barca play the passing patterns are just retarded and pointless. 90% of ball possession is wasted because the passing is without purpose.

No point making those comparisons.

But Xavi has very clear ideas which I see now reason why they can't translate to Barca. Then opponents level are better but by the same factor the players he will have are better.

It's more about transferring any idea to players, rather than tactical theory. If he can do that, no reason he cannot succeed. Football is football wherever its played.

The number one requirement for managers in top clubs these days is man-management... it's a requirement, not a "nice to have". And not just the top players; the entire squad. You'll know if a manager has the quality during challenging times and how he manages those situations + how players react to his management in those times.

Having a philosophy is great as long as it's not too rigid so that you can't adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of your squad.

Just my two cents.

Yea no it has nothing to do with Euro-centrism but the fact that the gap between a top league in Bundesliga to whatever league Al-Saad is in, is massive.

Who are other prospectful top managers in that league, and compared to Bundesliga? Yes you have top professionals compared to something like Al-Saad but to do so in what is the zenith of football against such teams, compared to semi-pro Qatari teams speaks for itself. He hasn't proven a thing till he does it somewhere where it is relevant.


And I've the feeling he will. Xavi speaking with glee of some Serie C match he saw tells me he loves the game more than anyone so bound to find a way as long as its not limited to the philosophy he worships more than Pep himself.

I agree man management is a must (though maybe we should define what that exactly is because I don't think it's as simple as it sounds) but I would say at the top level, a "philosophy" is a must and by that I simply mean principles.

Too players aren't stupid, you can't sell them on nonsense which doesn't make sense. You have to have something tangible which makes sense that they can work towards. Without it, no words will help.

I wouldn't call that a philosophy though. A philosophy implies a certain preferred style, which is true for some top managers, but there are plenty of other top managers that succeed with different styles depending on the squad they have available.

Perhaps "persuassion skills" is better. As long as the players believe in you and your ideas for the team you're golden. If the players never buy into it then you will have failed.

And even then that could still come down to "man management." You can have the greatest mind in football but if the team doesnt respect you it doesn't really matter

I hope Barca has finally learned its lesson after hiring a bunch of very good football minds... who are absolutely atrocious man-managers.

Also, you need a different type of man-management for teams like Barca, Madrid, or PSG than you would for an Arsenal or Spurs for example. The level of ego in the locker room is completely different.

I will add that the success of a manager is also dependent on the club executives having his back. If you're being destabilized from above, it's impossible.

The Franchise wrote:I think it just depends, different circumstances require different things. You normally don't have duel width on both sides of the field because of the inefficiency of defending transitions, unless your 3 midfielders never get ahead of the ball. But to me, it makes sense in particular moments of build up because it can create space inside for others if you have good rotational movements.

My take was it was just for a particular type of build up.

Yes I understand that, but main reason I brought that up was I actually read he plays like that it wasn't just a case regarding the build up like in the video.

He has both his fullbacks and wingers wide and the fullbacks have the license to attack. It probably works fine in the Qatari league but I can't imagine it working against better teams.

What atrocious man managers did barca hire? Luis Enrique was good. Valverde was loved by the team. Sure there were the Martinos and so on, but I wouldn't say barca has been recently characterized by bad man managing coaches.

I guess Valverde, Setien, Martino etc were loved by amigos because they had them train 2h less every day than other top teams Does it mean they were good man managers though.?

Didn't the players hate Setien's staff?

Yeah if rumors are true they hated Setien and staff. But he just had a short tenure, and tbh he did make baffling decisions every other game.

Alfredo Martínez (Onda Cero): "Everything points to Xavi Hernández becoming the new coach." [via onda cero]

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 27, 2021

Hope he fares better than Pirlo lol