Xavi Hernández

[Barcilliant]

I wouldn't believe that we're looking to sell Raphinha. Seems like random news without much backing. Just months ago the rumor mill was that the staff is astonished by Raphinha in trainings and they don't understand why he's not performing at the required level in games.

The thing is Madrid are smarter than us at all levels, sadly. They are tapping up top tier talents from South America because they know they can't wrestle with the oil clubs for ready-made stars anymore. Paying 40-60m for some kids in Brazil is still risky, but a player like Vinicius at current level would be 120-140m minimum. Rodrygo now would be 80m or so easily. Now if this Endrick kid is a hit as well, they are looking at some major upside with this strategy.

What we need to do is get rid of that damn salary cap which makes it so hard to sign players. We do that, and make signings like Ferran Torres the exception rather than the rule, and we will be fine imo and we will show improvement season by season.

Of course fans are gonna want impossible things, but the club needs to be cool headed and go at it season by season. The improvement from last season (fighting top 4), to this one (fighting for La Liga) is pretty clear. Next season some improved performances in CL will be expected.

It is very important though to find ways to sign top class players, and players with a lot of potential moving forward. Signing washed up stars (like I'm hearing with Kante or some other names), or players other teams don't want... that's not encouraging. You can't build a solid team on the cheap, you need quality players that are gonna cost serious money. Even talented teenagers now cost 30m+.

Can you tell me why you maximize the players responsibility while minimising the manager's??!
We might as well get rid of Xavi and appoint Biscuits as player manager.
Good managers make a team better. A guy like Benitez took Liverpool to a Cl against some much better teams. Ffs that Liverpool team were shithouse and they beat much better teams. I would happily take Benitez over this clown Xavi.

 

[serghei]

Fuck challenging Bayern,City, Real etc

WE CANT EVEN GET OUT OF THE FUCKING GROUP STAGE OF CL AFTER SPENDING 200 MILLION! DO YOU GET THAT?

How much did Brugge, Benfica and Sporting spend? Did they spend 350 to 500 million? Yes, I don't think so.
Stop shilling for Xavi. He was a whinger as a player and now he's a whinger as a manager. He has no idea how to set up a team. Bring Tuchel in asap.

Normally this team gets out of group stages in CL. We've been over that many times before. This was unusual circumstances with the whole defense out injured, and the replacements being retired bums like Pique. No wonder the guy like retired weeks after that shit show.

If we had our team fit I would also be more critical over going out in CL this early. But we didn't.

 

[serghei]

Can you tell me why you maximize the players responsibility while minimising the manager's??!
We might as well get rid of Xavi and appoint Biscuits as player manager.
Good managers make a team better. A guy like Benitez took Liverpool to a Cl against some much better teams. Ffs that Liverpool team were shithouse and they beat much better teams. I would happily take Benitez over this clown Xavi.

We can blame the manager if we finish distant 2nd place to Madrid. Or get eliminated in Copa del Rey by some weaker side. Hard to blame the manager when you're 1st place. Seems childish to me, considering the dire situation at the club.

 

[Horatio]

Seems childish to me, considering the dire situation at the club.

looooool

 

[serghei]

That being said, if we win nothing this season, and Laporta wants to replace Xavi with Tuchel... I wouldn't be too critical of that either. Even if we fight for the title until the end.

The only way Xavi makes a statement this season is winning a big title. Finishing 2nd vs Madrid, in close range, is neither remarkable, nor terrible, just what's expected and this is not good enough for a club in need of a top class manager.

Other than Tuchel though, I don't see any manager that would fill me with some confidence.

 

[DonAK]

Wouldn't you agree that the dire situation of the club is exacerbated by the manager trying to fit the players into roles they're not exactly accustomed to? Especially when you've just spent a lot of money on those players.

 

[serghei]

Wouldn't you agree that the dire situation of the club is exacerbated by the manager trying to fit the players into roles they're not exactly accustomed to? Especially when you've just spent a lot of money on those players.

No. Situation is dire in terms of financial restrictions. That's the main problem. Us not being able to improve the team in terms of personnel at the required rate and level.

The players have shown at the World Cup that they are really not ready yet for the big level, and it is uncertain they will make it big imo.

If the players would've had a top World Cup, maybe your point would stand out more. But they didn't. Many of them were the same as we know them from Barcelona.

 

[JamDav1982]

Normally this team gets out of group stages in CL. We've been over that many times before. This was unusual circumstances with the whole defense out injured, and the replacements being retired bums like Pique. No wonder the guy like retired weeks after that shit show.

If we had our team fit I would also be more critical over going out in CL this early. But we didn't.

Stop using the excuse of injuries when Bayern were in terrible form and Barca had full defence when were beaten by them in Germany.

The game away to Inter only Araujo was really missing and having to really on shite like Bellerin in those games is on Xavi... Also as has been said a number of times.. Inter missed Lukaku and Brozovic in both games.

As for Inter at home... Pique is there as Barca couldnt get rid of him and Xavi thinks likes of Busi at DM and Pique at CB is way to go in that game when the injuries are there.. that is on him for thinking those two together could get the job done while likes of FDJ is on the bench.

Bayern game is largely irrelevant as team out but how bad they were was embarrasing and injuries impacted when Xavi doesnt fill gaps in teams as was needed in summer and that includes the depth in those positions.

 

[JamDav1982]

No. Situation is dire in terms of financial restrictions. That's the main problem. Us not being able to improve the team in terms of personnel at the required rate and level.

The players have shown at the World Cup that they are really not ready yet for the big level, and it is uncertain they will make it big imo.

If the players would've had a top World Cup, maybe your point would stand out more. But they didn't. Many of them were the same as we know them from Barcelona.

Nah the fact Barca have a CB as best RB.. still think Busi is best DM and have 120m of wide players on the bench is on Xavi. As is having a 34 year old CF.

Argued this in summer... Raphinha and Dembele is overkill when both play RW and play it in different way. That money would have been better spend on fullbacks as would have the Kounde money on a DM and then club should have got ruthless with amigos.

Particularly when consider the way Xavi plays.

Now there are these huge huge gaps in squad and no money to fix it bar club trying in some way for more levers to further fuck the future of club financially.

La Liga is full of shite teams and having players better than the rest is enough to be big favs most weeks so league challenge should be there but Barca need more than that and need to be moving in right direction at European level also.

 

[serghei]

Some players need to be signed. About 3 would do it.

RB is a must. Starting quality since we are very exposed here.

AM or DM depending on what position we see De Jong in. If DM, bring in an offensive midfielder and make Gavi and Pedri compete for the CM spot, you can't start both. If box to box, sign a DM, but a good one.

LW, a quality one, because Fati is overrated as hell, and Ferran Torres is a certified flop. Has to be top LW so... kind of approaching 70-80m mark just for one player.

Not going to be easy. I think 160-180m would do it, but need all 3 to be big hits which is tricky.

 

[JamDav1982]

Some players need to be signed. About 3 would do it.

RB is a must. Starting quality since we are very exposed here.

AM or DM depending on what position we see De Jong in. If DM, bring in an offensive midfielder and make Gavi and Pedri compete for the CM spot, you can't start both. If box to box, sign a DM, but a good one.

LW, a quality one, because Fati is overrated as hell, and Ferran Torres is a certified flop. Has to be top LW so... kind of approaching 70-80m mark just for one player.

Not going to be easy.

Right back x2 and a LB were needed last summer as was a DM.

More so than another CB in Kounde and another RW in Raphinha and say that liking both those players but not for what team needed at that point with money had available.

Where is money going to come from to strengthen in summer? Current headlines say 200m above salary cap again.

If there is no LW that is on Xavi spending 60m on Torres and not making it work and then spending another 60m on a RW that trying to play in way doesnt suit him and already have Dembele.

Xav had 120m already to improve the LW area.

A huge issue on the LW is that Xavi is trying to play likes of Fati and Torres as touchline wingers and not the wider forward that they are... Both need to improve outwith that but Xavi not giving either best chance.

 

[serghei]

Right back x2 and a LB were needed last summer as was a DM.

More so than another CB in Kounde and another RW in Raphinha and say that liking both those players but not for what team needed at that point with money had available.

Where is money going to come from to strengthen in summer? Current headlines say 200m above salary cap again.

Lol, not gonna get into this again, but CB area is the main reason we got eliminated in CL. You say we didn't need CBs, but here we were having to play fucking mummy Pique in a deciding game.

If anything we need to ditch Garcia and sign another CB in the summer for squad quality . Since Christensen and Araujo seem to get injured frequently.

 

[JamDav1982]

Lol, not gonna get into this again, but CB area is the main reason we got eliminated in CL. You say we didn't need CBs, but here we were having to play fucking mummy Pique in a deciding game.

If anything we need to ditch Garcia and sign another CB in the summer for squad quality . Since Christensen and Araujo seem to get injured frequently.

Nope... I said no CBs missing away to Bayern.
One CB missing away to Inter and when that means shite like Bellerin has to play that is on Xavi.
At home to Inter... Xavi choses to play Busi as sole DM in front of Pique at CB from players available... that is on him. Both Busi and Pique were horrendous and Inter could have scored 4/5 easily.
Inter had injuries as well.. to Lukaku and Brozovic. Two key players.

Xavi didnt address the squad weaknesses well enough and when shite like Bellerin is playing that is poor squad planning. When he doesnt start FDJ and goes with Busi/Pedri/Gavi that is on Xavi. When he decides to play Bellerin ahed/Alonso etc ahead of Balde.. that is on Xavi.

Injuries are an excuse... top coaches deal/minimise them by better squad planning and better use of players available. Xavi failed on both in europe.

 

[iniestaGOAT]

That was our only good performance in CL


When no cbs were missing, away to bayern

 

[jamrock]

Yea let's buy 2 RBs, 1 LB, 1 DM.

That would still leave gaps at CB, RW, CF, LF/LW.

We've all seen how Dembele has revert to his usual self over the last few weeks, every same thing would have happened to Auba, & Torres despite folk tell us how good he is last season, is total dog shite.

we got a New manager, good energy bump that pushed us to fight for the league last season.

Can we imagine going into the season with
Auba, Dembele, Torres as out starters
Fati as the only decent back up, Jokes.

I'd take, Dembele, Lewa, raphinha, Fati..... Torres 🤢, over that every day of the week, Xavi needs to integrate raphinha better & lewa is nowhere near as good as temp thinks he is, but I'll run with that front line any day over what we had last season.

We can't fill every single hole in one summer, simple as that, it was always gonna take 2 summers minimum.

Buying Kounde & playing him RB. Is 100% the right decision, next season we will have one of the best young CB in the world playing his position alongside Araujo.

Don't worry they powers that be know the holes that needed to be filled & they tried to add players throughout the spine of the team.

Plus we have PLENTY of money to spend to fill the other positions.


....... mats

..Kounde... Araujo.... Christensen.... Alba/balde

............. Busquets/de jong

........ Gavi/de jong....... Pedri


.... Raphinha.... Lewa...... Dembele

Is 10x the 11 anyone could put in. By replacing Kounde, Alba/Balde & busquets.