Xavi Hernández

[Temptation]

Xavi lookin Al Sadd today.....

 

[DonAK]

Laportas has got us the manager we want, made money magically to get the players the manager asked for, pressured players politically to cut their wages, got rid of our cancer aka Messi .. the guy is a legend

Yes, we can see how far we've gone since we got rid of Messi and you crowned Ansu as his successor and a better player than him

Anyway Messi is a thing of the past.

 

[Sailor Mars]

Dropping to Europa League is going to be devastating for finances and probably effect the budget for next summer.

I think Xavi was a bit unlucky with the Araujo and Kounde injuries. Both are good, physical, and athletic CBs that are good at dispossessing players and averting danger, which would help in recovering the ball and quickly transitioning it towards the rest of the players.

Main thing Xavi and the board needs to do is replace Busquets, get a good RB, and perhaps some depth in midfield and forward.

 

[Gamegod]

Surprised that we conceded 3 goals with these back 4. Nothing new only difference we have Lewa now.

 

[ajnotkeith]

As a few of us have been stating for some time it is clear Xavi cannot play against an organised 5 at the back and it is reflected whether the other team is more attacking or not. This was the main issue today along with bizarre lineup selections of Pique and Busquets and Alonso etc.

If we come up against a back 5, per stats I already posted here, odds are we draw or lose the game regardless of the level of opponent.

Xavi's system is ok to run over LaLiga fodder who can't finish their dinners but against decent organised back 5s we regularly drop points and it will not be long before LaLiga teams, as behind as they are, begin to realise this fact.

Change of system or we will win nothing this season and probably be knocked out of EL again this season as well.

 

[Porque]

Laporta definitely made a financial gamble to have a team right now which competes for LaLiga and goes to the knockout of the CL and the first step of that has spectacularly back fired.

To be fair to him, he built a squad with glaring weaknesses (fullbacks) but that should definitely have achieved a top two group finish.

Now here's the thing. If we can somehow conjure a League+Copa/Europa double or even a treble then this CL exit will be overlooked sporting and marketing wise.

But damn, Xavi is not showing any good signs in knockout environments.

 

[matbezlima]

You think that the squad when Arteta took over at Arsenal is comparable to one Xavi has now? Or Klopp at Dortmund?

Barcelona leads La Liga, I repeat, with 19 goals scored and 1 conceded. I'm not talking about the team Klopp inherited at Dortmund. I'm talking about how he won two Bundesligas in a row, while pathetic in Europe in those two seasons. In the 2011-2012 season, Borussia Dortmund won their second Bundesliga title in a row. They also won the Pokal. They beat Bayern three times in that season: two in the league, on in the Pokal. Let's remember that Bayern reached the UCL final that season.

But how was Borussia Dortmund in Europe in that same season? They finished last place, with only one win, one draw and four losses, in a group with Arsenal, Marseille and Olympiacos. And actually, Dortmund wasn't even doing well in the league in the first half of that season, unlike Barcelona now.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Well, many here claimed it was Messi's lack of defensive contribution that made us lose. This aged well.

The veterans that dragged us down are almost gone.
So if we are playing even worse and getting 2 seasons in a row demoted to EL without messi why is that?

We have faster, younger, hungrier midfield than what we had with Messi.
We have better defenders than we had.
We have fast wingers we missed back then.
What is the only thing we don't have.
Please don't say coach, because ev, setien, koeman and xavi are about the same level.
If you look deep enough you will spot that what is missing is the short dude with the no.10 that dragged this team way beyond it's capabilities for years.

Yes, it is the manager, Xavi, and I suspect some sort of dark, mysterious and venomous club culture that is ailing us...

You seriously think Messi is what is missing? When he was here in the last several seasons, the results weren't that different, were they? Sure you might argue getting humiliated in the CL is better than playing in the EL... Also, what do you do when Messi can't play any more? We dissolve the club?

 

[Joan]

This is just not true. I've seen good ideas from Xavi all this time. There are plenty of Barcelona games that showed these ideas, like the one against Bayern in the UCL. Or the 4-2 against Atl?tico. Or the 4-0 against Real Madrid. Or the 4-1 against Napoli. In fact, I saw a tactical improvement and more creativity from the team in comparison with Koeman ever since his first game, even in the 0-0 draw against Benfica.

Tell people to ask if they saw any good signs of Arteta's work when he started terribly the last PL season, including a 5-0 defeat against City with zero fight, 19% of ball possession!

So what are they?

Already been said in this thread but Xavi did come in with a different approach. Wanted his wingers wide, and his FBs tucked in. Gave us some patterns and together with Auba produces some results. Then it stopped as he was countered. Has he adapted? No, he has not.

Serghei and you can downplay the squad Xavi's got all you want, say Pedri is overrated or Lewa outdated (examples), but these are excuses for a coach who has done fuck all with a solid squad built to his liking.

A propos Arsenal, let's end this debate rn and here: https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/arsenal-fc/2022/2/

 

[kattanib]

surprised that we conceded 3 goals with these back 4. Nothing new only difference we have lewa now.

conceding this much despite defensive errors is mainly due to the stupid kamikazi spreading wide direct risky passes tactics xavi played with despite having 90 minutes to pace the game and leading 1-0 at halftime. Inter baited smart not so much xavi by continuing to park the bus despite being 1-0 down

 

[matbezlima]

As a few of us have been stating for some time it is clear Xavi cannot play against an organised 5 at the back and it is reflected whether the other team is more attacking or not. This was the main issue today along with bizarre lineup selections of Pique and Busquets and Alonso etc.

If we come up against a back 5, per stats I already posted here, odds are we draw or lose the game regardless of the level of opponent.

Xavi's system is ok to run over LaLiga fodder who can't finish their dinners but against decent organised back 5s we regularly drop points and it will not be long before LaLiga teams, as behind as they are, begin to realise this fact.

Change of system or we will win nothing this season and probably be knocked out of EL again this season as well.

La Liga mid-table and small teams often tend to defend better, and be more tactically conservative astute, than PL teams really. Look at how England's midtable teams can't impose themselves on Europe to the extent that Spain's midtable teams often do.

 

[KingLeo10]

Laportas has got us the manager we want, made money magically to get the players the manager asked for, pressured players politically to cut their wages, pressured La Liga to protect Barca and got rid of our cancer aka Messi .. the guy is a legend

 

[ajnotkeith]

Barcelona leads La Liga, I repeat, with 19 goals scored and 1 conceded. I'm not talking about the team Klopp inherited at Dortmund. I'm talking about how he won two Bundesligas in a row, while pathetic in Europe in those two seasons. In the 2011-2012 season, Borussia Dortmund won their second Bundesliga title in a row. They also won the Pokal. They beat Bayern three times in that season: two in the league, on in the Pokal. Let's remember that Bayern reached the UCL final that season.

But how was Borussia Dortmund in Europe in that same season? They finished last place, with only one win, one draw and four losses, in a group with Arsenal, Marseille and Olympiacos. And actually, Dortmund wasn't even doing well in the league in the first half of that season, unlike Barcelona now.

1 goal conceded with 6 xG against. That stat is not because we are amazing defensively, just lucky, and have MATS in the form of his life.

Our defensive weaknesses are being exposed in Europe where we face better, actual high level players that put away their chances. Inter can't score against mid table Italian teams and they put 3 past us at home.

Barca is a bigger club than Dortmund and we expect to win things, that isn't overachieving. But additionally I don't believe we will win LaLiga either as teams will start to clock onto the system as last year and we will drop points rapidly.

 

[JamDav1982]

La Liga mid-table and small teams often tend to defend better, and be more tactically conservative astute, than PL teams really. Look at how England's midtable teams can't impose themselves on Europe to the extent that Spain's midtable teams often do.

Absolute nonsense.

The mid table and lower la liga teams are shite defensively.

What mid table teams from La Liga are dominating in way others cant?

The EPL teams are doing far better in Europe.

Rangers, West Ham etc all 'imposed' themselves more in Europe than Barca did last season.

 

[fergus90]

He will see out the season because Tuchel whilst being the only great available candidate is too outspoken to be a long term solution. Hire him and the club will be manager searching in 12 months time again.

However unless Xavi wins the league and cup double plus shows tactical flexibility during this time, then Laporta will replace him I'm sure of it.