Xavi Hernández

[khaled_a_d]

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Got his official debut couple of days ago. Was Asian cup game.

 

[wisconsincule]

Xavi are you ready to come home?

 

[Messigician]

Doing great, hope he's here next season

 

[Raketa10]

Doing great, hope he's here next season

He is not ready. Let him prepare for his career as a coach far away from this board. I hope he comes after Barto leaves but not before. He should be ready for 2021/22 season.

 

[abbbs97]

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First title as manager. I say if he continues this path the whole season, we should get him as our manager next year. I have no doubt he'll succeed here.

 

[RIZALDINHO]

i hope he learns a lot as manager and 2 or 3 years later he becomes our manager

 

[The Observer]

Many people say he might be a desaster as a coach and we'll play pointless possession football but I think he will be great.

The way he talks football you feel he has immense knowlege and insight into the game unlike jokers like Henry or Neville who were doing armchair punditry on English television.

My only doubt is that Barca will have a class team by the time he comes to coach us. Once Messi and Suarez retire there is not much. De Jong and Arthur have potential and that's it.

Who will be Barca starting RB, LB, ST, RW, LW, RCB in 4 years no one knows.

It would be unfortunate if Xavi is actually great but given a bad squad (already applies to Valverde other than Messi but people have not accepted it yet).

 

[Alik]

"Valverde is actually great but given a bad squad."

- The Observer

 

[The Observer]

Very disingenuous to take THAT away from my post.

The squad bar Messi is average (for Barca standards). We are not above Tottenham without Messi. The best performers are nearing retirement. The rest is nothing special. Maybe De Jong and Arthur will become great in a few years, right now they are 21 and 22. Which midfielders ever dominated consistently at that age?

You want to believe Dembélé is another Mbappe but he is more like another Lucas Moura or Douglas Costa.

Semedo is nothing. I think you could plug in 30 other RBs in that position and there would be no downgrade.

Valverde is not great. He is also not particularly bad. He is like most coaches you will get other than Pep and Klopp right now mixed with a not so great Barca.

This is what you end up with.

I will not argue this to eternal lengths though. Everyone has his own opinion already and will not deviate from it. Most think this is still the best team in the world and only the coach is holding it back and a Setien or Sarri would get rainbows shining out of Dembélés ass. I don't believe in that.

Who is right we will never know. By the time Valverde goes Messi and Suarez will decline and the narrative for the next coach will shift again. How he has to deal with a Messi-less Barca and he'll be given leeway.

 

[Andrew M]

Very disingenuous to take THAT away from my post.

The squad bar Messi is average (for Barca standards). We are not above Tottenham without Messi. The best performers are nearing retirement. The rest is nothing special. Maybe De Jong and Arthur will become great in a few years, right now they are 21 and 22. Which midfielders ever dominated consistently at that age?

You want to believe Dembélé is another Mbappe but he is more like another Lucas Moura or Douglas Costa.

Semedo is nothing. I think you could plug in 30 other RBs in that position and there would be no downgrade.

Valverde is not great. He is also not particularly bad. He is like most coaches you will get other than Pep and Klopp right now mixed with a not so great Barca.

This is what you end up with.

I will not argue this to eternal lengths though. Everyone has his own opinion already and will not deviate from it. Most think this is still the best team in the world and only the coach is holding it back and a Setien or Sarri would get rainbows shining out of Dembélés ass. I don't believe in that.

Who is right we will never know. By the time Valverde goes Messi and Suarez will decline and the narrative for the next coach will shift again. How he has to deal with a Messi-less Barca and he'll be given leeway.

I think Griezmann is better than any Spurs player

 

[DonAK]

All our players are average. The coach is not at fault at all. Gotcha.

 

[The Observer]

I think Griezmann is better than any Spurs player

Is Griezmann a better striker than Kane? Nope, he isn't. He is probably also way past his best. He busted his guts for 5 years for Simeone. We'll probably get 2 somewhat good seasons out of him. Then, at 30, he'll be at that stage where Suarez is for 18 months or so.

All our players are average. The coach is not at fault at all. Gotcha.

No, you are right. Semedo, Dembélé are new Alves and Neymar. Arthur is Iniesta. Alena and Roberto are like Xavi and Deco. Griezmann is Eto'o. This Barca is totally fine, as good as any Barca in the past 15 years.

See, I can play the same game.

The coach is not at fault for not being a generational coach like Pep or Klopp. Anyone else but those 2 and I'm certain they won't do much better with this Barca.

Would be very happy if Valverde was gone tomorrow so we can put the theory to test.

What are the odds some no name like Setien who got booted out by Betis comes and satisfies Barca fans?

But again, I will not continue this discussion much further. Each to his own opinion.

 

[DonAK]

It's actually more nuanced than that, just like all of our players aren't trash like you love to call them.

Also, a good coach is able to bring out the best out of an average bunch, instead we have one who make good ones seem worse.

I'm not into arguing to lengths with people with extreme opinions either.

 

[The Observer]

I said

average (for Barca standards).

I did not say trash.

"Extreme opinions." Whatever.

 

[messi2140]

If only Barca managed to sign Elite players like Henderson , Origi , Matip and Milner.