BusiTheKing
Senior Member
Right on the money. Some of Xavi's comments these past years have been downright embarrassing. For the pros column, though, he's going to be a great presence, which in some cases is enough if you have the right squad. His career as a player of course. The fact that he was Guardiola's top student.
Seemingly trivial things like the way he talks. He's electric and passionate and convincing in his argumentation. I think it was Puyol in the documentary that noted how the most important thing about Guardiola was that the players trusted him completely. They truly believed that if they did what he asked and put in the work, then success would come. It was mentioned multiple times how detrimental anxiety can be in a squad. Once a seed of self-doubt is planted, your entire plan can disintegrate. People start worrying if they really should be doing what they're doing. For example, under Guardiola, as I think it was Henry that explained well, there were quite a few instructions that didn't make sense in regards to any immediate pay-off. Instead, they served a higher purpose making the whole plan fall into place. If players start second guessing stuff like that, tactics are out the window.
I think Xavi would be great in that sense, because if you truly believe that you know the way, then it will rub off on your players.
