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

[serghei]

As for Xavi coaching ability, I like what he has achieved last year and I appreciate it.

But huge part of it comes down to few facts:

-Him being a big name in the club, allowing him to get those funds that no other manager was going to get, while getting almost unlimited support. It also brought more calmness to the club. Something that is unlikely to be repeated elsewhere and will wear down as time goes with the club.

-The atrocious level of Liga, it is easier for big teams to accumulate points now than ever, if it wasn't for those teams themselves doing worse. Barca having great season by both Lewa and Stegen helped too.

-RM had a bad season too.
Those things don't deny winning Liga is still an achievement.


Now, new coach will never have those advantages, Stegen is back being injured and Lewa is 2 years older and there is no way for a new coach to spend 150M to get players that fits his profile. Real Madrid will have 2 new young superstars to add to the growth they had with the likes of Tchouameni, Camavinga etc.

The club and the fans aren't going to judge a new coach the same way as they did with Xavi, due to entirely different situation here.
And Yes, LAPORTA SAID NO TRANSITION YEARS, but he said it when he was convincing the socios to allow him to sell club assets a year after letting Messi go. So while he isn't going to turn around and say the opposite because he is a politician, there is no way in hell he is expecting the club to be winning La Liga without some crisis from RM.

Come on...

This season Xavi had to play with that Inaki Pena in goal, dreadful keeper. No Gavi. Injured Pedri, injured Raphinha for long periods. That Romeu clown in DM. The conditions have been filled with problems. It's silly to claim that the conditions have been good and suddenly the next manager is gonna get worse. The conditions have been difficult all along.

You make the argument of money spent, but most of the players the club spent good money on... Raphinha, Kounde, Torres, are still here. Alive and kicking. The club didn't sell any of them. Unless a massive sale happens, the new manager is gonna get a very similar squad. You can even make a case that the younger talents are gonna become more experienced, mentally better and stronger physically as they reach a more mature age, hence improving the squad over the next 2 seasons.

As for Madrid probably producing superior football next season with Mbappe leading the line, sure, it is likely to happen. But, as said, this should not stop us from routinely beating the other teams... in this "atrocious league" as you put it.

Finishing on 90ish points, and testing Madrid's consistency and focus next season is achievable. If Madrid beat us 2 times and are consistent and focused vs smaller teams, finishing on some 95+ points like Pep's City did a few years ago... fair play to them. Nobody is gonna be absurd and point fingers at the Barca manager if the team performs great. Just because the team narrowly lost the title vs a superior rival.

If, however, the new manager starts to lose points vs smaller teams left and right... that is gonna be different. In short, the club should be expected to progress under the new manager and achieve more than we did under Xavi. New stadium coming up too soon. No more playing our home games in exile... plenty of positives to expect in the future also.

 

[khaled_a_d]

This season Xavi had to play with that Inaki Pena in goal, dreadful keeper. No Gavi. Injured Pedri, injured Raphinha for long periods. That Romeu clown in DM. The conditions have been filled with problems. It's silly to claim that the conditions have been good and suddenly the next manager is gonna get worse.

Whom Xavi prefered over Neto.
Romeu

The conditions have been difficult all along.

Last year it wasn't.
You can't keep blaming conditions then talking about last year as it was difficult condition and an amazing achievement.

You make the argument of money spent, but most of the players the club spent good money on... Raphinha, Kounde, Torres, are still here. Alive and kicking. The club didn't sell any of them. Unless a massive sale happens,

It wasn't bad money spent, but it was stupid planning. Awful allocation of resources.
Xavi is the one who insisted on bringing 2 RW while renewing Dembele, signing Kounde as a RB and not signing DM because of Busquets.
This doesn't make Raphinha bad signing, it makes a bad allocation of resources.

And being still here isn't a proof of anything tbh. They could be here because we can't afford to sell them on loss.

the new manager is gonna get a very similar squad. You can even make a case that the younger talents are gonna become more experienced, mentally better and stronger physically as they reach a more mature age, hence improving the squad over the next 2 seasons.

Non sense.
The best goal scorer in the club will be 36, the best midfielder we have this year will be 34, we might not be able to even buy our borrowed players, The unbalanced squad that Xavi built will be his issues. He won't have the same ability to make change the same way Xavi could in 2022. The was once in half decade opportunity and only Xavi got it.

if, however, the new manager starts to lose points vs smaller teams left and right... that is gonna be different. In short, the club should be expected to progress under the new manager and achieve more than we did under Xavi. New stadium coming up too soon. No more playing our home games in exile... plenty of positives to expect in the future also.

The new manager is expected to progress, but not in immediate manner regarding points,
The manager allowing the club to do it's job of scouting and signing players that the manager might not know in advance, allowing the club to get better medical and physio team, young players making progress, team build up plays. if all of those start to kick in and progress in first year even if we get less points, this will be a better job than Xavi this season.

Because at the end, despite you pushing too hard for it, the next manager should never be blamed for Xavi own mistakes. Just like we should not blame Xavi for club own problems.

Ultimately, yes, new manager have to progress in getting more points at most by his second season. But expecting it next year is not going to happen mate.

 

[serghei]

I can agree to some of that, but blaming every squad problem on the manager is unfair. Some problems in the team are related to Xavi's decisions, others are due to circumstances out of his control that he had to adapt to. Same thing is gonna happen to the next manager.

Next year sure, the new guy is gonna get some leeway. Not much though. He does an ETH and loses to Galatasaray in CL or some inferior team like that... all bets are off and he could be sacked early.

It is going to depend on how the team looks. Generally, as you said, La Liga doesn't have any elite team other than Madrid atm, so he should be expected to do very well quickly on the domestic front. That part is absolutely not negotiable on my end.

Consistency in the league vs smaller sides has to go back up next season after this season the players acted in a very unfocused, complacent, and quite unprofessional manner.

 

[Messi983]

El Barça sondeará a Nagelsmann para saber su futuro

En Alemania aseguran que el seleccionador está en la lista blaugrana

www.sport.es

 

[DonAK]

How many of these managers tick all these boxes? Perhaps only Nagelsmann and possibly Amorim. Still need to read up more about Motta.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1761331374299242792

 

[Chainsaw]

 

[Don Juan Laporta Estruch]

So Motta turned up at the weekend at an Atalanta with a fearsome home record. Goes 1 nil down early on and, just as he did at the San Siro against Inter, manages to turn it around and win 2 - 1.

He is now starting to add great away performances to the best home record in Serie A. To do that with perennial bottom half of the table Bologna is nothing short of a miracle.

Bologna have no great players. They have no one that will be in great demand in the summer. You could make a case that, pound for pound, Motta is doing the best managerial job in Europe this season. Nobody, not even Klopp nor Pep could take this Bologna to the brink of qualifying for the UCL like Motta has.

He should be the clear candidate for the Barca job. Because believe this, some big club will get him this summer and tie him up for years and he will take them to greatness. The time is now.

 

[Messi983]

Yes, would definitely give Motta a chance but think he'll probably prefer to stay in Italy.

Napoli, Milan and Juve could all be looking for new managers.

 

[Nello]

So Motta turned up at the weekend at an Atalanta with a fearsome home record. Goes 1 nil down early on and, just as he did at the San Siro against Inter, manages to turn it around and win 2 - 1.

He is now starting to add great away performances to the best home record in Serie A. To do that with perennial bottom half of the table Bologna is nothing short of a miracle.

Bologna have no great players. They have no one that will be in great demand in the summer. You could make a case that, pound for pound, Motta is doing the best managerial job in Europe this season. Nobody, not even Klopp nor Pep could take this Bologna to the brink of qualifying for the UCL like Motta has.

He should be the clear candidate for the Barca job. Because believe this, some big club will get him this summer and tie him up for years and he will take them to greatness. The time is now.

Saw the game, was impressive how resilient Bologna seemed. Could make a case for Zirkzee being a quality player who might leave in the summer, but other than that agree.

Motta has a lot of good things going for him:
- Knows the club (former player, has Barca "DNA" bla bla)
- Speaks Spanish
- Seems intelligent and good at handling the press
- Has shown to be tactically skilled and can maximise a limited squad's potential
- Probably won't be expensive unlike De Zerbi for example
- Will command respect as a two time CL winner.

 

[Messi983]

Whom Xavi prefered over Neto.

Did he really? I think club just wanted to offload Neto's wages and not spend much on a backup GK. Would call it a calculated risk which is understandable in our situation. Worked well last season when MATS was healthy and in great form, obviously not so much this year.

Not like Neto was anything special here anyway and especially not deserving wages Bartomeu gave him.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Did he really? I think club just wanted to offload Neto's wages and not spend much on a backup GK. Would call it a calculated risk which is understandable in our situation. Worked well last season when MATS was healthy and in great form, obviously not so much this year.

Not like Neto was anything special here anyway and especially not deserving wages Bartomeu gave him.

There was a lot of reports that Xavi himself didn't rate Neto and wanted him out, he also prefered Pena over Tenas.
Neto was overpaid but he was a solid back up GK for a team like us, probably even good. Pena is far from that.

 

[Messi983]

My point was that letting Neto go was more a financial than sporting decision.

Just can't afford to pay a fortune to a backup GK you don't need. Well, at least until you need him.

That said we should clearly find an upgrade over Pena. Dimitrievski would be very good.

 

[Porque]

Hopefully we correct the Pena decision by signing Dimitrevski. Can give the lad the Copa's and Europa League Knockouts.

 

[Messi983]

Linked to the bald fraud today. No, not that one.

Arne Slot, un técnico que gustaba en el Barça

El entrenador del Feyeenord ha asombrado por su fútbol

www.sport.es

 

[Porque]

Linked to the bald fraud today.

Thought it was going to be Joe Rogan.

Would accept for this reaction when Madrid are given an non-existent penalty.