Let's talk about Xavi's replacement (2024)

Xavi replacement v3


  • Total voters
    19

Loki

Well-known member
It still feels so dumb. Why the hell did they beg him to rethink then if they were going to fire him anyways.
 

M3ls

Well-known member
Listen:
his 19-20 Xnumbers are great. in 20-21 their defense was not so good, but still had blistering attack.

The objections Purist raises are valid, and I watched the vid when it first came out

All in all, and given that options like Nagelsmann with a possibly higher ceiling than Flick are out of the question now, there should be no doubt:
Flick will be a 100% upgrade on an apprentice like Xavi who is learning his craft by slow painfull trial and error
even if he only managed to instill the pressing/physical preparation/fitness/work ethic our players badly need

Why would I take numbers for part of a season when the world was just facing Covid, if I could take a full season?

If they were good in 2020-2021, then Barcelona was also good this year, because Barcelona's numbers are better in the context of the level of opposition in the league?
In any case, let's see what comes of this.

As I said earlier, appointment of Flick is a risk. And I hope this risk pays off. The numbers in the domestic leagues don't suggest he's better than Xavi.
 

serghei

Senior Member
It still feels so dumb. Why the hell did they beg him to rethink then if they were going to fire him anyways.

Doesn't matter really. If they think the squad is good enough and the manager doesn't, then the objectives can't be assumed by the entire team. And since the squad won't get much better for next season you need to start fresh with a new manager.

Makes sense imo, we just had to have a bit of circus because we are Barca.

I am satisfied with what Xavi has done and if the new manager can build on what he has achieved, the move is beneficial for the club.
 

Loki

Well-known member
Doesn't matter really. If they think the squad is good enough and the manager doesn't, then the objectives can't be assumed by the entire team. And since the squad won't get much better for next season you need to start fresh with a new manager.

Makes sense imo, we just had to have a bit of circus because we are Barca.

I am satisfied with what Xavi has done and if the new manager can build on what he has achieved, the move is beneficial for the club.
Xavi is still a club legend and you don't behave like that with legends. If they had doubts about him, they should never have begged him to stay.
 

Windhook

Well-known member
It's a combination of power, strenght, stamina, and intensity/urgency in every action (for instance not passing around with no urgency as if bored that our players constantly do under Xavi) that makes the killer combination. Flick's Bayern was all about suffocating the opponent by pressing AND winning all balls
Then the rest is about tactical coaching
Sounds good on paper, but you can't program that. It takes good recruitment, more than "hit the gym" thing. The reason Real Madrid signed physically superior French players and Bellingham.
 

Porque

Senior Member
In the CL 2nd round and quarter (up to the sending off) we were among the top % in distance covered.

If that was our peak, then our peak was that of the top PL sides.

The issue is that it didn't last more than a few weeks. Be it the hit of the CL exit or whatever, but it seems the issue with Xavi was more than just the physical preparation. But the mentality.

There have been hints of this throughout his tenure.

Going to Frankfurt, getting a draw and then getting KO at home.

Going to Madrid, getting a win and then getting KO at home.

Going to PSG, getting a win, and then getting KO at home.

It's a theme that transcends both the stadium excuse and the sending off excuse. Because it repeats.

Serghei is right about one thing though. We didn't overachieve by winning the league but Xavi overachieved by winning the league. Our chances conceded was way higher than what we conceded while most of the wins were 1-0.

If the opponents scored a fraction of the goals they should have, then we would have seen what we have seen this year. A Catalan meltdown taco filled with 5 red cards, 1 pinata and a ton of excuses.
 
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DonAK

President of FC Barcelona
All I want is for Barca to become a serious football club.
The way stuff was handled under Bartomeu and so far under Laporta is a shitshow.
 

jamrock

Senior Member
Drawing a lot of squiggly lines to connect Frankfurt to PSG TBH.

Only thing those had in common is we lost, if that's the only thing that connects them, we can draw a line back long before Xavi.
 

jamrock

Senior Member
When you're one of the top 3 symbols of an entire community and what many believe to be their own country, having a large part of the news cycle dedicated to every little thing that happens at the club, will always cause chaos.

The sport papers in Barcelona does the club more arm than good TBH.
 

Messigician

Senior Member
❗Hansi Flick has 95% chances to become the new Barcelona coach.

— @OnzeTv3

We back to the Neymar saga of clownery with this % shit
 

Fati_Future_BallonDor

Well-known member
There is a feeling that Xavi cannot re-motivate the squad and overachieve in the league like in 2022-23. So, in this light, if the objectives are very high, it's best to leave someone with more of a positive attitude.

that's the thing, the Xavi-Barca relationsship looks finished, sometimes players need a new coach to find new motivation and new hunger
 

Porque

Senior Member
Manchester United and Chelsea face a possible battle for their new head coach after Sky Sports News learned that United officials have met with representatives of Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.

It is now clear that both Man Utd and Chelsea have McKenna on their shortlist of possible candidates - even though United have yet to decide whether to stick with Erik ten Hag next season.

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Man UTD, us and Bayern seem to be in a race to outclown each other.

Man UTD play City this weekend in the FA Cup final, and have this publicly drop.
 

Givenchy

Senior Member
Manchester United and Chelsea face a possible battle for their new head coach after Sky Sports News learned that United officials have met with representatives of Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.

It is now clear that both Man Utd and Chelsea have McKenna on their shortlist of possible candidates - even though United have yet to decide whether to stick with Erik ten Hag next season.

---


Man UTD, us and Bayern seem to be in a race to outclown each other.

Man UTD play City this weekend in the FA Cup final, and have this publicly drop.
The only way we outclown them is if we stick with Xavi
 

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