Xavi Hernández

[Birdy]

Personally don't want Tuchel here. He is a good coach but far too abrasive and his system is weak in league play. More than likely he would be sacked after a year or two and we would continue our managerial merry go round.

Need to go for a long term candidate, ETH would have been a great choice but unfortunately we didn't wait for him.

Flash back to last October when I was screaming that Laporta should wait for the summer and try to bring in ETH.
Cherry on top, Poch became available in the summer as well.
Most here were like 'no we need someone now', as if we wouldn't have qualified for CL with Koeman

Most of the times you will rarely find a WC coach available mid-season. There might be some, like Tuchel now, but you deprive your planning from having more options, which is crucial for Barca a team that needs not just a WC coach but also one that 'fits' their identity

But Laporta put his ego and his little petty fights and beef with Koeman above the good of the team, and didn't wait.
Only Xavi and Roberto Martinez were available back then

 

[kattanib]

Guardiola in UCL KO games would like to have a word...

Which final are you talking about? The one against Man United or the one against Man United?

 

[matbezlima]

Which final are you talking about? The one against Man United or the one against Man United?

I'm not talking about his wins. I'm talking about games like the first leg against Inter in 2010. Or the first leg against Arsenal in 2011. Or the tie against Real Madrid in 2014, Bayern only got progressively worse in that tie. Or the final against Chelsea, when City in the second half was only spamming crosses the whole time!

Sometimes, teams just have bad days and bad patches of form and confidence, with the coach being almost hopeless.

 

[Luftstalag14]

I agree, it all unravels for Tuchel very fast when things start going awry. Plus his 3 CB's, wingbacks and pivot is way too defensive for a club who prides itself on its attacking 'style'. Might get a bit of use out of Marcos Alonso though

Ten Hag would be great I agree, or Hansi Flick too.

I haven't watched much United this season, how are they doing under Ten Hag? Has he improved them quite a bit?

 

[matbezlima]

I haven't watched much United this season, how are they doing under Ten Hag? Has he improved them quite a bit?

They have, but not that much. I think Ten Hag will need at least 3 or 4 years to make United fight for UCL again.

 

[Birdy]

I haven't watched much United this season, how are they doing under Ten Hag? Has he improved them quite a bit?

A lot.
Long way to go, but they are starting to play football again

I hope they beat Sociedad away and finish 1st in the EL group, I don't wanna face them for the R32

 

[fergus90]

I haven't watched much United this season, how are they doing under Ten Hag? Has he improved them quite a bit?

It's starting to come together a bit now. He's brave with his decision making and has no favourites. Had a few naive moments at first when he insisted to play out from the back with players that were physically incapable but they are improving every week.

Plus the man had his team gutted at Ajax and managed to rebuild it. Alfred Schreuder who's replaced him is not having an easy time of it.

 

[Messi983]

Meanwhile Laporta doing his magic

https://twitter.com/theeuropeankid/status/1580143251163516929?s=46&t=B0L3FE3m3ZJeU_S7rGS4Kg

 

[unknowngenius10]

Bring valverde back

 

[fergus90]

I should also add that he won manager of the month for September, whilst getting Rashford to the point where he won player of the month.

Quite some feat when he was barely resembling a professional footballer for 18 months.

 

[Horatio]

Alfred Schreuder who's replaced him is not having an easy time of it.

Some key players are passed it next to having lost good players in transfer window. Also Ajax is without Overmars because of the scandal who had excellent transfer policy.

Schreuder stepped in at a very difficult time.

 

[fergus90]

Some key players are passed it next to having lost good players in transfer window. Also Ajax is without Overmars because of the scandal who had excellent transfer policy.

Schreuder stepped in at a very difficult time.

That's my point, just because he was at Ajax doesn't mean he can just turn up and win. The job he did there showed his pedigree.

Get your team decimated basically every season.

 

[Joan]

I think a lot is down to Barcelona's players not being as inspired and dynamic as they should be, they are going through a patch of bad technical form. Dembel? and Raphinha are not looking like their best selves, and so much of the creativity comes from them. If anything, Xavi's mistake is building the team to be maybe too reliant on the creativity of the wingers Dembel? and Raphinha (as a brazilian, I hate so much how this forum is reactionary and thinking he is a bad player, while he is actually a good player in a patch of bad form). They are good players, but they are not Robben or Rib?ry. He has to find a different way for the team to create without being so reliant on those two. Maybe De Jong should start instead of Gavi.

And honestly: saying that a coach has been "found out" is one of the laziest criticisms ever, and overestimates the importance of tactics, and how the players' confidence, psychological aspects and technical form are at least just as important, if not more. I see so many people online trying to sell a bullshit narrative that "Klopp has been found out" to blame for Liverpool's bad form this season. The truth is that we don't understand tactics as much as we think.

This is a fair and sensible post tbh and I agree with the narrative. But don't you think is up to the coach? Dembele is an outstanding player but hardly known for consistency. He's been with the team for some time, he's not new. Psychological, physical, and technical form of the team are all within his domain.

It's easy to overrate the importance of tactics but his are lacking. Very few patterns and ideas. And when I said found out, I meant his then approach. Rode an early wave with few successful changes but when teams reacted and coached adapted, he wasn't flexible and kept pushing which cost us. He is a very stubborn coach with little reason to be, think we can both agree on that.

Let's just say that I don't see it. Can only hope you're right because we aren't sacking him.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Xavi:

Assessment of the game:

"The assessment is negative. This Champions League is being cruel to us, from Munich, through Milan and today at home. The first half was excellent, but in the second half we conceded a lot and made a lot of mistakes. The first goal is a very clear mistake from the defensive line and the second too, we had already talked about it. I think we deserved more, but that's the Champions League. It's about winning and not conceding, not just attacking and we should have played the game like in the first half and continue with that intensity and pace, but right now we don't depend on ourselves and it's a very difficult situation, but we have to go ahead and think about Sunday's classic. We have to recover well and change the chip for the league because the Champions League has become very difficult and complicated."

Errors

"Football is a game of mistakes and I think they should always be minimized, you have to defend well, but today we didn't. We did a very good first half, conceding very little, the intensity was excellent, we went to the break very satisfied and happy and we had to continue down this path and since we did not, we paid dearly. Mistakes are paid for expensive in the Champions League. We made some very serious defensive mistakes that cost us the game."

El Clasico

"We have to change the chip from tomorrow when we train to prepare for the classic. We will try to disconnect from the Champions League to prepare for the league. They've got three games in a row in the league."

Message to players

"I have encouraged them, in the end people have seen that we have given everything, that they leave our souls. You can't forgive so much, not in Munich, where were the missed chances and effectiveness, or in Milan, which were other circumstances, or today at home, that have been our defensive mistakes."

 

[ajnotkeith]

Xavi:

Assessment of the game:

"The assessment is negative. This Champions League is being cruel to us, from Munich, through Milan and today at home. The first half was excellent, but in the second half we conceded a lot and made a lot of mistakes. The first goal is a very clear mistake from the defensive line and the second too, we had already talked about it. I think we deserved more, but that's the Champions League. It's about winning and not conceding, not just attacking and we should have played the game like in the first half and continue with that intensity and pace, but right now we don't depend on ourselves and it's a very difficult situation, but we have to go ahead and think about Sunday's classic. We have to recover well and change the chip for the league because the Champions League has become very difficult and complicated."

Errors

"Football is a game of mistakes and I think they should always be minimized, you have to defend well, but today we didn't. We did a very good first half, conceding very little, the intensity was excellent, we went to the break very satisfied and happy and we had to continue down this path and since we did not, we paid dearly. Mistakes are paid for expensive in the Champions League. We made some very serious defensive mistakes that cost us the game."

El Clasico

"We have to change the chip from tomorrow when we train to prepare for the classic. We will try to disconnect from the Champions League to prepare for the league. They've got three games in a row in the league."

Message to players

"I have encouraged them, in the end people have seen that we have given everything, that they leave our souls. You can't forgive so much, not in Munich, where were the missed chances and effectiveness, or in Milan, which were other circumstances, or today at home, that have been our defensive mistakes."

He claims he is doing self-reflection but he essentially just keeps repeating that the players fucked up and that nothing is on him.

Without understanding that tactically we have been outplayed by a poor Inter.