Xavi Hernández

[Behrox]

Everytime he started a big away match this season in the league (Bernabeu & Anoeta), our midfield lacked defensive work-rate and pressing.

He can be a perfect sub to control the game when we're leading (against PSG for exemple).
Conclusion is that he can't start anymore big matches, particularly the away one's.

say what? Lucho don't roll dat way

 

[klc123]

When we need to slow the game? Yeah i agree 100% because lately he's only good at that.

Against PSG, the team actually looked better overall when Xavi came on.
Believe it or not, but Xavi does actually understand football, in fact he understands it better than most, particularly people on internet forums who think his only contribution to the team is slowing tempo.

edit:
Xavi's game has never been about high pressing and winning the ball in midfield. Even when he first started playing. His game has also never been about using pace or physical ability to get an edge. He still covers just as much distance as his team mates when he plays the full game. When your team has the ball, he will ensure your team control the game. It isn't his fault if the attackers aren't doing their job making runs, his job is to keep the ball. Expecting him to play high tempo through balls to players making non-existent runs is not a valid criticism in my opinion. The problems in the team lie in the fact that the forwards don't press as much and the defence is all round terrible.

The only reason he shouldn't play is because he isn't fit enough due to age and injury to play every game. Lacking an understanding of football is not a reason to hate the player.

 

[bismp]

When your team has the ball, he will ensure your team control the game

Keeping the ball doesn't mean you control the game.
They(him and iniesta) should try making more through balls.

 

[klc123]

Keeping the ball doesn't mean you control the game.
They(him and iniesta) should try making more through balls.

Like I said, you can't expect Xavi to make passes to players who aren't there.
He needs a player making a good run to be able to pick them out.
It's risk vs reward. There is no point in xavi trying to hit 40 yard through balls constantly when there is no chance of it coming off because players aren't creating and moving into space like they were before. We know xavi has the technical ability and the vision, so the only logical reason he isn't doing it is because it isn't possible with the way the team are playing.

Arsenal fans have the exact same criticism of Ozil, it's laughable. He first joined and all his team mates were fit at the start of the season. He had a fit Giroud holding the ball up, a fit walcott making quick runs in behind the defence and a fit ramsey making runs forward from deep. When those three players got injured, suddenly Ozil stops creating chances and getting assists, yet it's Ozil's fault?

 

[Neymessi]

He is a legend.But he is not a good player now.Keeps giving passes sidewards or backwards with no threat 99% of the time.He should have retired last season.At least he does at the end of this season.

 

[Ritchie]

He is a legend.But he is not a good player now.Keeps giving passes sidewards or backwards with no threat 99% of the time.He should have retired last season.At least he does at the end of this season.

He's still got another year left and the club will look to keep him due to transfer ban.

 

[Alik]

He is a legend.But he is not a good player now.Keeps giving passes sidewards or backwards with no threat 99% of the time.He should have retired last season.At least he does at the end of this season.

He has had quite a few good performance though, relatively speaking, this season. Only now he's back to being overplayed.

 

[klc123]

He is a legend.But he is not a good player now.Keeps giving passes sidewards or backwards with no threat 99% of the time.He should have retired last season.At least he does at the end of this season.

Read my post.

 

[Gaudi]

He is a legend.But he is not a good player now.Keeps giving passes sidewards or backwards with no threat 99% of the time.He should have retired last season.At least he does at the end of this season.

Except Messi our entire team is doing the same

 

[klc123]

Except Messi our entire team is doing the same

This is why I think it is a team/coaching problem more than it is a player problem.

Paul Scholes is the exact same type of midfielder as Xavi. He came out of retirement at 38 and had 37 appearances that season. He was their best midfielder that season. Giggs also had a fantastic year that season. The next year, Scholes goes back into retirement, and giggs has a terrible season with Moyes as manager. The manager, and how they get the team playing, is a bigger influence on how players play when they already have the quality and experience of players like Xavi. Hence why Iniesta and Xavi have had such a rapid decline over the last 3 years, the managers have been terrible.

Xavi doesn't play without penetration for fun, he does it because he has no other option. This is why football fans never appreciate midfielders as much as attackers.

 

[Gaudi]

This is why I think it is a team/coaching problem more than it is a player problem.

Paul Scholes is the exact same type of midfielder as Xavi. He came out of retirement at 38 and had 37 appearances that season. He was their best midfielder that season. Giggs also had a fantastic year that season. The next year, Scholes goes back into retirement, and giggs has a terrible season with Moyes as manager. The manager, and how they get the team playing is a bigger influence on how players play when they already have the quality and experience of players like Xavi.

Xavi doesn't play without penetration for fun, he does it because he has no other option. This is why football fans never appreciate midfielders as much as attackers.

Exactly!
Andres didn't just become worse player, Xavi is no spring chicken but class remains, he can't play 60+ games but he can play some without problems. he didn't start those side passes because of his age.
Our system is broken!

 

[klc123]

Exactly!
Andres didn't just become worse player, Xavi is no spring chicken but class remains, he can't play 60+ games but he can play some without problems. he didn't start those side passes because of his age.
Our system is broken!

Iniesta's decline can only be attributed to the team playing poorly in my opinion. A player of that quality doesn't just lose it all. Him and Xavi aren't players who use pace or physicality, things which you lose as you get older. Both of them have used technical quality to become the best midfield pairing throughout their career.

If anything is a red flag for the team and how bad the manager has them playing, it is that both Iniesta and Xavi are struggling to create chances for the team when they have Neymar, Messi, and Suarez playing in front of them. It's not even bad tactics, it's a complete lack of strategy and organisation.

 

[Neymessi]

Like I said, you can't expect Xavi to make passes to players who aren't there.
He needs a player making a good run to be able to pick them out.
It's risk vs reward. There is no point in xavi trying to hit 40 yard through balls constantly when there is no chance of it coming off because players aren't creating and moving into space like they were before. We know xavi has the technical ability and the vision, so the only logical reason he isn't doing it is because it isn't possible with the way the team are playing.

Arsenal fans have the exact same criticism of Ozil, it's laughable. He first joined and all his team mates were fit at the start of the season. He had a fit Giroud holding the ball up, a fit walcott making quick runs in behind the defence and a fit ramsey making runs forward from deep. When those three players got injured, suddenly Ozil stops creating chances and getting assists, yet it's Ozil's fault?

Don't agree here.I used to think that could be the case but I looked closely and no.There are plenty of instances when someone is making a run somewhere but he takes the safe route and pass it back.

 

[Neymessi]

Iniesta's decline can only be attributed to the team playing poorly in my opinion. A player of that quality doesn't just lose it all. Him and Xavi aren't players who use pace or physicality, things which you lose as you get older. Both of them have used technical quality to become the best midfield pairing throughout their career.

If anything is a red flag for the team and how bad the manager has them playing, it is that both Iniesta and Xavi are struggling to create chances for the team when they have Neymar, Messi, and Suarez playing in front of them. It's not even bad tactics, it's a complete lack of strategy and organisation.

Iniesta doing bad because the team doing bad?No,not at all.

 

[Busi-Messi Barca]

Iniesta's decline can only be attributed to the team playing poorly in my opinion. A player of that quality doesn't just lose it all. Him and Xavi aren't players who use pace or physicality, things which you lose as you get older. Both of them have used technical quality to become the best midfield pairing throughout their career.

If anything is a red flag for the team and how bad the manager has them playing, it is that both Iniesta and Xavi are struggling to create chances for the team when they have Neymar, Messi, and Suarez playing in front of them. It's not even bad tactics, it's a complete lack of strategy and organisation.

Couldn't agree more.

I think Xavi has been good this year, when he was coming on a as a sub at the start of the season and having a positive impact - Villareal away to comes to mind. Groucho is starting with him now and using him to much - just save him as a supersub for the bigger games please!