Xavi Hernández

[FC B]

The next two transfer windows will prove whether Xavi and Laporta are all talk and nothing else, or whether they truly will clean house like we need to.

If Pique, ter Stegen, Busquets and Alba are at Barcelona past upcoming summer and still starting for us there's no hope.

If Xavi stays I see no reason for him to ditch the greatest DM in the world, Busquets, in Xavi's eyes.

 

[George_Costanza]

asap asap i cant believe he hasnt realized they are just deadweight along with that moron lenglet

pique in particular is below bad

I don't think he will drop them. Xavi would have been good for us in a few years not now, once Pique, Busi...etc. retire from football. When Pep was promoted to the role of first-team coach and wanted to rejuvenate the squad, he dropped Ronaldinho, Deco, Oleguer, Zambrotta... Actually, Ronaldinho knew that his cycle at Barca had ended, so he decided to leave. The difference is Xavi is a close friend with the seniors.

 

[BBZ8800]

I don't think he will drop them. Xavi would have been good for us in a few years not now, once Pique, Busi...etc. retire from football. When Pep was promoted to the role of first-team coach and wanted to rejuvenate the squad, he dropped Ronaldinho, Deco, Oleguer, Zambrotta... Actually, Ronaldinho knew that his cycle at Barca had ended, so he decided to leave. The difference is Xavi is a close friend with the seniors.

There is also an option that Xavi is bad at player management, at tactics, moving towards evolved version of football etc.

And as I have said a lot of times that he will be bad copy of Pep just like Arthur was a bad Wallmart copy of Xavi the player.

You guys are giving credits to Xavi the coach only due to his skills as a player.
For now he hasn't done nothing as a coach to warrant any credits.

But hiring him was a good old Barca's things.

What's next, Messi as a sporting director?

 

[iniestaGOAT]

There is also an option that Xavi is bad at player management, at tactics, moving towards evolved version of football etc.

And as I have said a lot of times that he will be bad copy of Pep just like Arthur was a bad Wallmart copy of Xavi the player.

You guys are giving credits to Xavi the coach only due to his skills as a player.
For now he hasn't done nothing as a coach to warrant any credits.

But hiring him was a good old Barca's things.

What's next, Messi as a sporting director?

Look at this guy, he thinks he knows more tactics that xavi cause he writes a bunch of essays on barcaforum from his basement.

 

[Messigician]

Look at this guy, he thinks he knows more tactics that xavi cause he writes a bunch of essays on barcaforum from his basement.

You toxic af

 

[Gari]

BBZ8800.You constantly talk about the dogmatism of Barelona and Xavi, in particular, blind faith in your style. But you also say dogmas: height, weight, rush, hit, you can hit the jaw.) My opinion is that the system should work, but the system can be different : attacking, defensive, holding the ball, playing counterattacks, etc. The task of the coach is to build his system with players suitable for it.

 

[ajnotkeith]

BBZ8800.You constantly talk about the dogmatism of Barelona and Xavi, in particular, blind faith in your style. But you also say dogmas: height, weight, rush, hit, you can hit the jaw.) My opinion is that the system should work, but the system can be different : attacking, defensive, holding the ball, playing counterattacks, etc. The task of the coach is to build his system with players suitable for it.

Look at Chelsea's CL winning lineup last year. Kante, Azpi, Chillwell, Mount, Jorginho, James, Werner - 7 of their outfield 10 were under 6 foot. Their lineup was shorter than the ones we field.

The problem is not height or weight, our players just suck, technically and in conditioning. Our technique isn't that great either is it? Our players constantly misplace simple passes and make rookie mistakes every game. Simply put, we just have an inferior squad that were worse than Bayern in everything. Nothing to do with height or being choir boys.

 

[Bobo32]

Look at Chelsea's CL winning lineup last year. Kante, Azpi, Chillwell, Mount, Jorginho, James, Werner - 7 of their outfield 10 were under 6 foot. Their lineup was shorter than the ones we field.

The problem is not height or weight, our players just suck, technically and in conditioning. Our technique isn't that great either is it? Our players constantly misplace simple passes and make rookie mistakes every game. Simply put, we just have an inferior squad that were worse than Bayern in everything. Nothing to do with height or being choir boys.

Some of the players suck, and I try on these forums to make it very clear which ones!
But the main problem is the structure, tactics, understanding BETWEEN the players, they are not set up the right way and do not understand intuitively what they should do at all times to help each others.

Take the back pass to the goalie: Valdes has told us what Pep told him the first day: "you will have the defenders on the base of the box, your only duty is to get the ball to one of them, and my duty is to get them to run there as fast as possible". Most defenders have the gut reaction to turn and run up the field, or just hide, after the ball is played back to the keeper, waiting for the hoof. Barcelonas defenders sometimes try to get the ball from MatS on the feet, and sometimes not, the keeper sometimes tries to pass it calmly, and sometimes hoof it by chance towards an attacker. There is no cohesion in this simple example, and it's the same all over field - we see too many decisions going against each others too often - it is not the case of what way is the best one, but deciding for one way and sticking with it as much as possible, you of course have to look at what style suits the players...

Xavi was great as a player to bring cohesion - he was called the clock and the mixer because of his reliability - everyone always knew what he would do, and if he'd recieve a crazy ball he would always reset the play and make his team control it calmly again. As a manager, he has not yet got his team to be very clear, but I think he is working towards it. We will probably be able to see any progress if there is any during these last games of the year...

 

[mc_lovin]

Sweet summer child, you still try to find arguments to convince BBZ?

If you haven't noticed he already made up his mind about Xavi and is only looking for arguments to support his view. I would have respected him more if he waited until summer before bashing Xavi

 

[Bobo32]

Yeah it's a bit pointless to argue with BBZ, he is too "alpha" to ever consider an argument against his pre-madeup mind

I just want to also say that this talk about "intensity" is much of a chimera. For example United were a more "intense" team than Barcelona in 2011, but there is only one ball...
Barcelona need to threaten a bit more with forward runs, movement, and passes inbetween, but without getting any less control over the ball.

 

[jairzinho]

Yeah it's a bit pointless to argue with BBZ, he is too "alpha" to ever consider an argument against his pre-madeup mind

I just want to also say that this talk about "intensity" is much of a chimera. For example United were a more "intense" team than Barcelona in 2011, but there is only one ball...
Barcelona need to threaten a bit more with forward runs, movement, and passes inbetween, but without getting any less control over the ball.

It would be nice of you to enlighten us on what a chimera is. The Bayern game has taught us alot of useful lessons that we should use to improve our game. The worse thing that can happen now is to slide back into this bubble of thinking where our nice triangles and movements and a nice technique are all that matters.

We need to improve physically. Our players are a bit too slow, in some cases too weak, our general game-play is too lethargic, we lose duels too easily and are not combative enough. I don't see anything wrong with improving in those areas. It's not like we will automatically turn into Athletico Madrid. We can still have our 'precious' style which is non negotiable to fans but at the same time the physical aspects of the game should not be ignored.

 

[MTL_Barca]

2011 Barca didn't lack intensity, that's what made them so great. Remember many coaches highlighting exactly that, how you'd only run after the ball vs Barca and the moment you got it the pressure was crazy, giving teams no time to breath.

 

[behindbrowneyes]

Club just needs to accept that past successes are far away and take the underdog role. Although I like the "We are Barca and we have to win every game" - mentality, but it is just not realistic at the moment. Let's not act as if there is a chance to win EL. There is no way under current circumstances to compete for the title.

Talking about the coach isn't the right moment now. Xavi is new and the squad is bad. We lack depth and insensitivity in the forward line and have way too many average defenders. Also, there is no good mixture of age groups. We have many young players and old veterans that are together more or less building the basis of our team. We are lacking players in their personal prime. Players between 25-30 who are representing the core for the other ones by exemplary performances. It was expected that MAtS, Umtiti and Coutinho will be these kind of players but they are nowhere near their expected level.

Time for the club to move forward. If you get a coach, build with him for a longer period of time and not 2 years. Let him change things within the club that go beyond the squad. Get expertise in physical and medical department. That's why I wanted someone like Rangnick in the club. Not as coach, but as Head Of Football. We need more professionalism in the club and should learn from current greats instead of focusing too much on La Masia and our own idea of football. No one expects the club to let go of La Masia. It is and will be important for the club, but learn things from different football cultures and evolve.

Muller really disgusts me as a player, but the club should listen closely to his free advice and what is obvious for years now:
"We really tried to get the intensity into the game because I think we're really massively different to Barcelona, at least in their current state, because of that intensity," Muller told UEFA.com.

"I don't think they can cope with that intensity. Technically they have it all and they have some really good players, there's no question about that, but we can deliver this intensity both in possession and out of possession. I don't think they can cope with the intensity in top-level football."

 

[clemente]

I like how he said that our players don't understand what it means to play for this club, it's very well worded, great summary of how everyone in the squad except Braithwaite, Araujo, Vidal (when he was here), De Jong, they look like they are about to cry every time they play against a stronger opponent, they are okay with losing. I think Xavi should just start unrealistically demanding trainings, and the ones who cannot keep up, they will bounce from this club themselves, those amigos feelings won't be hurt.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

How many teams have been able to play successfully Pep's style, WITHOUT being coached by Pep himself?

Do we have any practical proofs that it is possible at all?
Regardless of quality of our players.

And even Pep himself managed to play it only with the Messi+Xavi+Iniesta, Champions league winners Bayern and oil rich City.

His playing style requires an insane squad, but that's why it's tough to replicate.