Xavi Hernández

[Porque]

The Copa semi's will be huge because it's against Real. We have to win them to show we can win a big KO game.

 

[Devils]

Goals Conceded by Barca:

In La Liga - 7
In Europe - 16.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/spanish-la-liga/top-scorers

When you see the names on this list, it's not a surprise we don't concede much in Liga.

 

[fergus90]

La Liga it's not terrible. Just having Madrid in it makes it 2nd best in Europe easily. if La Liga is shit, then all other competitions except for CL and Premier League should be disbanded altogether.

La Liga is so terrible that Villareal knocked out Bayern last year in CL, and a year before beat United in EL final.

Let me know when there's some Leipzig and some Lille that knocks out Madrid from CL.

If you are to go on representation in CL and EL competitions then even the Prem isn?t top on that metric it?s Bundesliga.

 

[Givenchy]

This is not necessarily for Xavi, but for the whole organization.

�� Too many heartbreaking painful memories. When will this vicious cycle end?

✍️ @plusbarca_

https://twitter.com/BarcaSpaces/status/1628908110013145089?t=9W5hQU8PuOw_Ls0yJaTdrQ&s=19


Tough to even remember all the embracement we had through the years.. it's been too long. We need to change this cycle.

I wouldn't really call last night or Frankfurt heartbreaking, let's be real for a minute; if we hadn't played a big team like United, nobody gives a shit for Europa. Sure it would of been nice to win something but can't compare to those CL humiliations.

I believe we can end the losing cycle but it's going to require a new approach and manager. This will be controversial but I'd like to see a cup manager for once, a coach who can get gritty and create a 'the entire world is against us' mentality, a prime Mourinho for example.

We could sell some players or more of the club and buy more Ferrans or realize the manager is the most important position in football today.

 

[xXKonan]

He rarely can put two good halves together as a coach. Usually, we can play some good stuff in the first half and score a goal or possibly two but after HT we are a totally different team often we stop playing and sit back and we are usually on the ropes like the team decided to get drunk and won't do anything to fix that issue either.

Man lets himself get outcoached so easily. Not even just a Europe issue either, we've seen it in the league so many times and we get way to lucky at most of the time because teams can't finish for shit and the likes of Mats are in super human form.

 

[DonAK]

The CDR tie vs Real Madrid will be huge to see how the squad react. Also believe Madrid will be at their best and looking for revenge after the Supercopa defeat.

 

[Barcilliant]

Man, really depressing to be a Barca fan these days. Been a fan since 88 and I can't remember the club being stuck in such a rut.

People forget that la liga is not what it used to be. That is why alot of people don't rate winning the league much.
I remember back in the day teams like Deportivo, Valencia, Villareal,AM, Sevilla etc were not only strong in la liga but competing in Europe too.
Bottom line we need to get rid of Xavi. The club needs a top coach and needs to support him too. No use hiring a top coach 8f the board doesn't support him and the Catalan press just badger him.
Imagine if another manager lost 8n the round of 32 Europa league. The press would be screaming for his head but cause it's golden boy Xavi he gets a pass. No criticism of him.
People have a right to be pessimistic. Gavi and Pedri are still too raw, our attack is pure shit and Xavi is just clueless.
At the moment both Tuchel and Poch are looking at the Real Madrid job. I would take Tuchel anyday. He's actually won stuff unlike Poch.

 

[mc_lovin]

(...)

You piss me off way more than the loss against United.

 

[te amo barca]

I don't get this argument about EPL's bottom-tier teams. Sevilla, Celta and Valencia are on the same level as them and are also fighting relegation.

 

[ebc_99]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/spanish-la-liga/top-scorers

When you see the names on this list, it's not a surprise we don't concede much in Liga.

The top scorer lists in the other leagues don't look any better.

None of the leagues are that strong right now, arguably the Premier League is the best, but the idea that it is head and shoulders above the rest is nonsense

 

[DonAK]

Our issues competing in Europe isn't down to La Liga's quality.

It's because of our awful transfer policy/record throughout the past 5-7 years or so along with us hiring average managers. Don't think a top team have hired as many meh managers as we do.

It will not get better until we identify the right type of players to sign and actually spend money on. Also won't get better unless Xavi who's a rookie learns to adapt to these type of games.

Players like Ferran, Raphinha and Ansu in his current form should not play for Barcelona if we want to compete in Europe and by that I mean the Champions League. We also need better depth than Kessie and Sergio Roberto, especially the latter. We're in fucking 2023.

 

[jamrock]

Our issues competing in Europe isn't down to La Liga's quality.

It's because of our awful transfer policy/record throughout the past 5-7 years or so along with us hiring average managers. Don't think a top team have hired as many meh managers as we do.

It will not get better until we identify the right type of players to sign and actually spend money on. Also won't get better unless Xavi who's a rookie learns to adapt to these type of games.

Solid critique, largely agree.

 

[Kul_z]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/spanish-la-liga/top-scorers

When you see the names on this list, it's not a surprise we don't concede much in Liga.

More devastating is that after lewa next one is pedri with 5 goals. Speaks a lot about our attack

 

[Richard.H]

Our issues competing in Europe isn't down to La Liga's quality.

It's because of our awful transfer policy/record throughout the past 5-7 years or so along with us hiring average managers. Don't think a top team have hired as many meh managers as we do.

It will not get better until we identify the right type of players to sign and actually spend money on. Also won't get better unless Xavi who's a rookie learns to adapt to these type of games.

Players like Ferran, Raphinha and Ansu in his current form should not play for Barcelona if we want to compete in Europe and by that I mean the Champions League. We also need better depth than Kessie and Sergio Roberto, especially the latter. We're in fucking 2023.

I have to agree, it's actually amazing how bad the transfers have been. It's been bad for about 6 years now! It's almost like it's deliberate.

 

[freetocan]

Not that we play a classical Barca football, but we have agreed for years that Barca's style is the best against weak teams = for league titles.

For the last 20-ish years, we are just more consistent in beating Gironas and Getafes, while RM is better against European teams.

The math always seems something like:
1. Out of 10 matches vs Getafe:
-- Barca will have 8 wins
-- RM will have 7 wins
2. Out of 10 wins vs Bayern and Liverpool:
-- Barca will have 2-3 wins and a few 0:4 defeats
-- RM will have 6 wins, without any 0:4 defeats

So, what Xavi is doing is nothing spectacular.
He just went back to our winning ways against horribly bad bottom table La Liga teams, who are bankrupt and filled with average short and technical players from Spain and South America.

These teams aren't fast, strong.
They are just a bunch of Wallmart versions of Barca/technical football.
Playing against them is like playing vs Barca B or C team.

But whenever something different comes (than Spanish light technical football) = we are lost.
For years Messi was saving our asses in Europe, but even then, for a decade, we all had a feeling that something is just off.
We often blamed Raki, Vidal, EV, Suarez, Alba, Busi, all amigos.
But no matter which player or a coach we fired, we were always as equally as bad vs European teams.

While with RM, no matter who is their coach, or how many new Camavingas and Tchous they buy, they always seem to have a better answer for European opponents.

Winning La Liga was never about beating the best teams but about making as few mistakes as possible vs bottom table teams.
The one who finds a way to consistently beat teams worse than you = is the champion.
Unlike in Europe, where you don't play vs minows but against equal teams where each opponent has a different set of strengths and tactics and you need more variety.

So, La Liga is worse than ever and bankrupt.
And Xavi has found a way to beat these bankrupt, not too physical teams.
And then you have players like Pedri and Gavi who thrive vs Gironas, but look like ghosts in Europe.
What is the most likely answer?

This is probably the most true and fair analysis I read on this forum in the last few months. Totally agree. Very objective and clear hope for everybody, analysis. Very well said.