Victor Font
- Thread starter Barcaman
- Start date
Barcilliant
Senior Member
How about JordiFarre? I don't know much about him but he did mention getting Klopp. That alone made him interesting.
I honestly don't know if looking to the past is the best way for the future. It could be but I'm not sure.
Would love to hear from others.
I honestly don't know if looking to the past is the best way for the future. It could be but I'm not sure.
Would love to hear from others.
fergus90
Senior Member
Rummenigge is a skilled excited but he was also an exceptional footballer who played 400+ games for Bayern Munich (2X European footballer of the year) and an intelligent person. Laporta trusting Cruyff was smart because he also was an exceptional footballer and an intelligent person.
Bartomeu added Abidal for clout and nothing more, I know Abidal was part of the successful Guardiola era but he wasn't the backbone to the success like Xavi, Puyol etc. Xavi was the metronome of successful teams and Puyol was the leader. If we are going to have former players as part of the club, I'd much rather it be the likes of the aforementioned than Abidal, Fernandez etc who were all just a footnote in Barcelona's history and could never understand it like the Xavi's, Puyols, Iniesta's etc can.
Messi983
Senior Member
Welcome back, man. Where have you been?
Good post, totally agree with you.
I mean, Bartomeu has brought back legends like Abidal, Puyol and VV in different roles and they didnt' exactly worked out. Just because they were great players doesn't mean they'll also be good coaches/SDs/whatever roles the club will give them.
I'd take Monchi/Luis Campos or another SD who has actually proven he can do his job at another club. Sure, Monchi failed at Roma and maybe he can only do good at Sevilla he knows well. I know Barca is a totally different world than smaller/selling clubs like Sevilla or Monaco but I'd trust him over a Barca legend who has absolutely no experience how to set up a scouting network, making transfer decisions and negotiating with clubs/player's agents. In financially uncertain times the club and a whole world are currently in and will be for a few more years at least we probably won't be able to spend big on "proven" players (and it's not exactly like those have actually worked well for us over the last few years) so we'll have to bet on 1. La Masia and 2. trying to find our own versions of Haaland's and Davies's before they go to either a.) a developing/selling club like Dortmund and their price multiplies or b.) are signed by another big club like Bayern and are then impossible to get.
We did a great job to sign Pedri last summer so big thumbs up to whoever was responsible for signing him but we need to find and buy more players like him before other clubs get them. And I think a guy who has found and brought a certain Dani Alves from Brazil for 0,5m all those years ago and made several other cheap signings who have turned out great players (also for us) over the years (the last example being Kounde who most of us wants to sign now) could do a similar job here. Ligue 1 is probably the league that produces the most talented youngsters every year who are available for relatively cheap and Monchi's extensive knowledge of that league would also help us for sure.
So if one candidate would bring Monchi he'd get my vote. Give him autonomy over transfers without the board being involved and signing the "star players" that have no fit in the team. Let whoever the coach will be Monchi know what profile of players he wants and Monchi would give him a list of at least 3 or 5 alternatives and then they can together choose the best available ones. Not like now when we usually only have one top target per position which in the end we overpay for or don't sign anyone else if we don't manage to get that player.
fergus90
Senior Member
I'm of the personal belief that Abidal was only brought in as a deflection tactic from Bartomeu. Prior to his appointment was it ever known that Abidal was some footballing genius and a student of the game like what's been said about Mascherano, Xavi, etc in the past. Out of the entire 08-12 era Abidal seemed like one of the less obvious choices for a return to the boardroom.
Valdes was hotheaded even from game 1 and was a questionable choice from the beginning. Puyol was only in the job for four months who left along with Zubi so completely unfair to consider him a success or failure. He also refused the Sporting Director role in September 2019 when it was offered to him.
I think rather than dismissing the approach of bringing back former players, it's important to select the right ones.
I'm not pro Xavi, Puyol etc but I'd feel much more comfortable with them making Footballing decisions for Barcelona than Abidal, Pep Segura, Robert Fernandez etc. Out of all the Sporting Directors out there who are alien to Barcelona Monchi would definitely be my choice though too based on his time with Sevilla.
Valdes was hotheaded even from game 1 and was a questionable choice from the beginning. Puyol was only in the job for four months who left along with Zubi so completely unfair to consider him a success or failure. He also refused the Sporting Director role in September 2019 when it was offered to him.
I think rather than dismissing the approach of bringing back former players, it's important to select the right ones.
I'm not pro Xavi, Puyol etc but I'd feel much more comfortable with them making Footballing decisions for Barcelona than Abidal, Pep Segura, Robert Fernandez etc. Out of all the Sporting Directors out there who are alien to Barcelona Monchi would definitely be my choice though too based on his time with Sevilla.
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Monchi is a king. Wherever he goes he'll have to be above the manager and have free reigns. I don't think many clubs are ready to accept that, let alone the biggest clubs which usually have high profile names as managers.
Wasn't he on his way to United once, but they got put off by his high demands of power?
Monchi's success with Sevilla might not be implementable at other clubs, especially bigger clubs.
- A successful transfer for Monchi is a player who is sold for more than he's bought.
- With Sevilla losing their best players they manage to be a great EL team year after year.
But they never manage to get past that barrier, not once have they been a dark horse in CL like Spurs/Ajax 18/19 for example. Does he really have an eye for players who regularly become world class, or just cheap players that are sufficient for tier 2 clubs like Sevilla?
- The players who turn out world class eventually, need patience and playing time. Things that can be offered at Sevilla, but maybe not so much at bigger clubs.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
You are too romantic.
Pirlo was an Italian Xavi as a player.
He looks like an awful coach for now.
Koeman was an absolute winner and a legend.
Today he is afraid to bench Messi.
I personally have extremely bad feeling about Xavi.
I am afraid that he will be a Setien junior.
Trying to play football which worked 30 or 15 years ago.
From Xavi you have never heard words pace, athleticism, fight, mental strength, evolution of football.
He always talked only about possession, height of grass and Puig.
Sounds like Setien vol 2.
But probably even worse.
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
True. I hope Xavi proves me wrong but I don't see him succeeding. Old Barca philosophy ain't working anymore.
Gaudi
Senior Member
Same here, Xavi gives me all the wrong vibes
KingLeo10
Senior Member
fergus90
Senior Member
I don’t think he wants Pep as manager. I watched the interview on skysports and he was just giving an example how no club legends work at the club now and Pep was listed in them who he’d like to bring back in some capacity at some point. .
gregorrin10
Senior Member
Don't think he ever wanted to bring back Pep as manager, more likely in some other capacity, Xavi has always been his one (and only?) choice for manager. The likes of Pep, Puyol, maybe Iniesta too would assume other positions at the club, like sporting director, director of La Masia etc.
fergus90
Senior Member
I watched an interview with Xavi who spoke remarkable English which I wasn’t aware he could speak. He said Barca needed pace and width, went on to mention Gnabry, Sancho etc. Don’t think he’s as one dimensional as people fear.
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