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KingLeo10
Senior Member
For now our greatest concern is to find replacement for Imhotep.
Me and a few other Barca faithful are leading an archaeological dig in Cairo as we speak
Messigician
Senior Member
Woah and the other PL clubs can say look how close westham us to us
Iniesta Ultra
Senior Member
JohnN
Senior Member
I like xavi, he is one of our legendary players. But I sense he has an obsession with some players and some principles that hold him back.
Scaloni dropped lautaro Martinez from the starting eleven without a second thought and replaced him with a teenager who just appeared on the big scene without hesitation after just 1 match.
He improved and adapted his team with every match and against every opponent.
These are some things xavi should look at.
I mean, we may not be football experts and tacticians, but busquets is hurting the team in every single important match since 2015 so it doesn't take a genius to detect this.
Watching that Argentina intensity and aggression of midfield is night and day compared with our subdued and laid back style.
Scaloni dropped lautaro Martinez from the starting eleven without a second thought and replaced him with a teenager who just appeared on the big scene without hesitation after just 1 match.
He improved and adapted his team with every match and against every opponent.
These are some things xavi should look at.
I mean, we may not be football experts and tacticians, but busquets is hurting the team in every single important match since 2015 so it doesn't take a genius to detect this.
Watching that Argentina intensity and aggression of midfield is night and day compared with our subdued and laid back style.
iniestaGOAT
Senior Member
He has an obsession with dembele, busquets and ter stegen that's for sure
Only ters repaid the faith for now
serghei
Senior Member
Can't agree, sorry.
This Barca team is very much in the vein of Rijkaard's team, not Pep's, the only difference is the players are of lower quality compared with the days of Ronnie, Deco, Eto'o, Puyol, Marquez, and so on. If anything this is a more pragmatic team, more direct, not so much tiki-taka purist style.
This is actually most surprising thing about Xavi. He is not at all hesitant to go after the result, defend and play on the counter.
His only issue is the Busi case, even though Busi was subbed most often under him than under any previous manager. Hardly seen fit Busi being subbed in min 60 or 70 under other managers.
Basically sub Busi even more often, and he's spot on. Ferran signing is unfortunate, but most teams get transfers wrong on regular basis, it only hurts us more because we're suffering financially, which is not Xavi's, nor Laporta's doing.
90% of the criticism for current Barca is basically moaning from massively spoilt fans who unable to fully understand and accept the natural cost of a ruinous presidency such as the Bartomeu era.
Also, it's normal and even advised for a manager to be partial to his own ideas, with the caveat that he should be realistic enough to alter those ideas to accommodate the current club possibilities. This is exactly what Xavi has done and the reason why we're leading the table with a pretty impressive league record since he was appointed.
Scaloni dropped Lautaro becasuse he has a very gifted young player in Julian Alvarez. Barca doesn't have that type of player. Our attack is very much dependant on Lewandowski bagging in many goals and Dembele doing his thing on the wing. No other options, surely not the overrated Ansu Fati and underwhelming Torres.
There is no other player Barca have that should play and he doesn't because of Xavi's fixed ideas. The one young player that shows big promise is Balde and Xavi is playing him a lot on both wings whenever possible really.
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Windhook
Well-known member
I agree with Serghei. Xavi is more direct, not obsessed with ball possesion. Anyway this is not what Cruyfismo is about. If Cruyff's idea was to pass to ball right and left in midfield for 70 minutes he'd probably slap himself.
It takes great talent to execute this idea. Barca doesn't have it right now. Pedri is promising, reminds a lot of Iniesta, but the system doesn't work without the next Xavi. No need of mentioning next Messi, such players are extreme rare phenomenon.
It takes great talent to execute this idea. Barca doesn't have it right now. Pedri is promising, reminds a lot of Iniesta, but the system doesn't work without the next Xavi. No need of mentioning next Messi, such players are extreme rare phenomenon.
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serghei
Senior Member
If anything, Xavi's possession play looks similar to Madrid's. Bring the ball in the wing quickly, force individual duels, and cross the ball. We don't waste a lot of time in the center. Xavi probably knows that the midfielders he have are either not mature enough, or not gifted enough to make a difference in the last third.
I don't know yet if this is Xavi's desired way of playing, or he simply lacks the midfielder to make a difference in the center in more advanced positions, considering he did want Bernardo a lot and Bernardo is exactly the type of midfielder to run the game in more advanced positions, unlike any of Pedri, Gavi or De Jong.
We are more possession oriented than Madrid, but this is used more to protect the defense. The attacking pattern is not a tiki-taka based one. It's quicker and more direct, based on wing play.
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Windhook
Well-known member
Yeah, Xavi admitted Bernardo is the missing link in his midfield. That's why we rely more on explosiveness on the wings, Dembele and Raph.
I hope Xavi watching World Cup games took some notes from Lionel Scaloni. Adapting the style against each opponent. It was amazing how fluid and easy it looked for Argentina in many moments.
Barcilliant
Senior Member
There are problems across the pitch. Attack has no chemistry and reliant on a veteran striker. Midfield lacks goals, bite and experience. Defence lacks a good right back.
Don't know why Xavi doesn't switch to a three at the back or 4231. He lacks imagination and savy.
Don't know why Xavi doesn't switch to a three at the back or 4231. He lacks imagination and savy.
BarcaOG
Banned
terrible choice. it works against meme teams (that we should beat anyway) but its a complete catastrophe against any semi-decent side
which is exactly what LE found out this WC thinking the 7-0 was at all indicative of busi's current competence
Blanco
Active member
Xavi is terrible in tactics and motivation so far, but i have to say that he know what he wants and has an eye for the talent, recognizing world class players. First he made big effort to convince Dembele to stay and now the same with Busquets, which are 2 of your 4 world class players with Araujo and Lewa.
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