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

Xavi replacement v3


  • Total voters
    19

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
Liverpool have a long history of hiring former players/individuals with strong connections to Liverpool as managers -

Paisley
Souness
Dalglish x 2
Roy Evans
Houllier

tbf, every club in the world will have a certain degree of preference to ex players.
Real Madrid didn't go and sign Nedved or Totti as Ancelotti assistant and then put him to B team, they did for ex player like Zidane. Same about Raul & Solari etc whom Real tested with youth teams.
Simeone was hired with basically little experience in Atletico because he was a former player. Conte, Pirlo, Rossi, Seedorf and Felipo Inzaghi all had a favourable treatment due to past history with their first hiring. The list goes on tbh.


The difference is that since Pep, Barca had 7 coaches and 5 of those were ex players (Tito was Barca B player and a long time assistant and youth coach) and 2 total outsiders who had total of 18 months here out of 12 years AND one of them was hired after 2 former Barca players refused the job and was only hired because we thought his way of playing is a Barca DNA one.

Truth to be told, I can find an execuse for every hiring:
-Tito was recommended by Pep and has been in the club for long and actually was successful till health issues (RIP).
-Lucho had done his learning duos in Barca B, Roma and Celta and was ready for next experience with good support from a desperate board.
-Koeman accepted the job in time of crisis when Barca job wasn't attractive one and we couldn't financially afford a good option (essentially Barto was more interested in saving money to save his ass).
-Xavi came when Koeman staying was no longer an option and every alternative rejected us already. Board also needed someone whom fans can get behind and support him.
-EV is a more of a normal hiring but he happened to be ex player who knew SD personally, him being Barca DNA was more of another media hyping strategy.

The thing is, this has been happening for so long and the more it continues the more we become a closed club that isn't open for new ideas, this is especially dangerous when former players we hire has been only here most of their career or are proven mediocre coaches like the last 2.

It is time to shake things a bit and make the club able to go for other good candidates like we did with Rijkaard and LVG for example
 
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Loki

Well-known member
It doesn't matter if the next coach is an ex barca/football player, known or unknown. He can be Bartomeu's ex lover for all I care. The only important part is, that we finally get a coach who can bring out the strengths of our players and not someone, who wants to revive Pep's barca or is only talking about DNA. Because that's not possible, football has changed to more physical, the level of talent isn't there anymore even if Deco had 1 billion to spend, because there are no young Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pique out there.
Xavi didn't understand it, that's why he failed.
Many players are in a bad form because of it, especially in the defense and defensive midfield positions. We need someone who can stabilize that part and create an offensive that suits the strengths of our current players, because the club has no money for new quality players.

Our players are good enough to win spanish titles and reach CL quater/semis with a bit of luck. We just need a coach who can form a team with them. Who can create a playstyle that suits the players and not try to press the players into a certain playstyle like Xavi did. Klopp is the absolute best in that, but it's impossible to get him, so the club needs to look for someone with similar abilities.
 
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malvolio

Senior Member
Our players are good enough to win spanish titles and reach CL quater/semis with a bit of luck. We just need a coach who can form a team with them. Who can create a playstyle that suits the players and not try to press the players into a certain playstyle like Xavi did. Klopp is the absolute best in that, but it's impossible to get him, so the club needs to look for someone with similar abilities.
Wake up buddy. We don't have an attack to win titles or reach CL quarters/semis.

Defense is also very unbalanced, with fullbacks poor in defense. Not even starting a debate over the actual quality of guys at CB, who have been labeled best in the world last year, but actually are not that level.

No coach coming in now will resurrect us to the level you think we should be. Because players are simply not good enough.
 

Porque

Senior Member
Wake up buddy. We don't have an attack to win titles or reach CL quarters/semis.

Defense is also very unbalanced, with fullbacks poor in defense. Not even starting a debate over the actual quality of guys at CB, who have been labeled best in the world last year, but actually are not that level.

No coach coming in now will resurrect us to the level you think we should be. Because players are simply not good enough.

What you talking about.

Won the league last year. In the CL quarters if beat Napoli this month.

So there's the proof we have the squad.

The difference will be top management team. Over the past months we have conceded 3 to Antwerp, 4 at home to Girona, 5 at home to Villarreal, 3 at home to Granada.

That's evidence that the failure this season is systematic.

Maybe it really is Busquets. And not because his level was so good. But because Xavi was so bad and he might have been the coach on the pitch.
 

malvolio

Senior Member
What you talking about.

Won the league last year. In the CL quarters if beat Napoli this month.

So there's the proof we have the squad.

The difference will be top management team. Over the past months we have conceded 3 to Antwerp, 4 at home to Girona, 5 at home to Villarreal, 3 at home to Granada.

That's evidence that the failure this season is systematic.

Maybe it really is Busquets. And not because his level was so good. But because Xavi was so bad and he might have been the coach on the pitch.
Other shite teams have reached CL quarters or semis, even finals. But those were one offs. We are talking here about actually competing to win, year on year. Not statistical bullshit.

Attack is dead this year and it wasn't the attack that won us the title last year.

Yes, management can make a difference. But with changes to personnel. With the players we have we struggle.
 

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
We still have the 2nd best squad in Spain and are closer to the first than to the 3rd, we also have at least a top 10 squad in Europe.
And we have finished outside top 2 only once in past 15 years and it was with a damn awful coach and a far worse squad.

People who thinks we are that bad are still comparing this squad to ours of past times and other historical teams.
Just as those who thinks we should be playing certain way and reach certain level without thinking about the present.
The squad is weak at bench and lacks 2 solid starters, but it is still a fairly strong one.
 

malvolio

Senior Member
We still have the 2nd best squad in Spain and are closer to the first than to the 3rd, we also have at least a top 10 squad in Europe.
And we have finished outside top 2 only once in past 15 years and it was with a damn awful coach and a far worse squad.

People who thinks we are that bad are still comparing this squad to ours of past times and other historical teams.
Just as those who thinks we should be playing certain way and reach certain level without thinking about the present.
The squad is weak at bench and lacks 2 solid starters, but it is still a fairly strong one.
In Spain, yes. We have a top 2 squad as rest of the league is trash. Nothing to brag about.

We might have a top 10 squad in Europe, on paper. European results and the way we are battered by any half decent team with pace and pressure say otherwise.

As I've told Porque, it doesn't matter how we see things statistically if the result is the same in the end. It's just an illusion that the squad is good enough. And I'm not comparing it with prime Barca either.

Right now we don't have an attacker in top 20 in the world, probably not even top 30 or even 40 for that matter. Even in the Gaspart era we had someone like Rivaldo.
 

vegitot

Senior Member
The current squad contains talented players, but also is flawed. Not enough players at their prime ages, too many grannies and young players.
 

Nazario1985

Senior Member
Sebastian Hoeneß - coach from Stuttgart might be also an option :thinking:

We are in a situation where can fuck this up one more time.

So maybe their some no big names that will turn into the next Mourinho or Pep, but the probability that we'll end up with a shmuck is devastating.

Laporta need to get the big guns and find the money for it.
 

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