Xavi Hernández

[El Gato]

Look Messi had his flaws, but all the Messi haters wanted him gone because he was "chief amigo" and his staying meant other seniors couldn't be benched.

Turns out Xavi is chief amigo as [MENTION=11668]khaled_a_d[/MENTION] pointed out months ago. Imagine letting Busquets start EVERY game. And no punishment for MATS/Pique for horror shows. GTFO.

Now it matters who 'chief' amigo is?
They're all amigos. All should be long gone incl Messi

Xavi-centric vision is what lost Font his campaign and there was good sporting reason for why it didnt go over well
serghei, FCBarca and co all getting exactly what they asked for
Just gotta hope there's no sharp rocks underneath the water they jumped off the cliff into

 

[serghei]

Honestly, I always said Koeman had very valid excuses (aka the squad), but was a total bitch with no upsides. Xavi is just a punt. Who knows where he will end, but there will be growing pains. Would still take Xavi 10 out of 10 times over Koeman.

Yeah, but a better personality and better words, that's a small return for paying 12m to Koeman. Minuscule even.

So Xavi needs to let go of the washed-up bums and go all in.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Ultimately, despite all the talk by him and the media, Xavi is going through the same motions Koeman did.

Give it a month or two of more disappointing performances and he will be complaining at the squad just as Koeman was.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Honestly, I always said Koeman had very valid excuses (aka the squad), but was a total bitch with no upsides. Xavi is just a punt. Who knows where he will end, but there will be growing pains. Would still take Xavi 10 out of 10 times over Koeman.

So far Xavi has had zero impact on the team, other than instituting those rules. He will be pissed and talk those big words like "reset" and "new era" again but it is the same shit without any change.

Nice walk around the hotel in Pamplona this morning but, it hasn't made any difference.

 

[KingLeo10]

Now it matters who 'chief' amigo is?
They're all amigos. All should be long gone incl Messi

Xavi-centric vision is what lost Font his campaign and there was good sporting reason for why it didnt go over well
serghei, FCBarca and co all getting exactly what they asked for
Just gotta hope there's no sharp rocks underneath the water they jumped off the cliff into

I'm not absolving Messi.

I'm saying he was not the root of Barca's amigo culture.

 

[mc_lovin]

ARaujo Eric as CBs, Mingueza to cover
Balde as LB,
Neto has played well last season for an extended period.
MATS should learn the lesson that ITS NOT OK to concede easy goals.

The message should get across to everyone.

One of Xavi's rules-principles was 'meritocracy' meaning the best play every time

You are sure he doesn't do that?

Mingueza is pure shit, same as Neto. Balde is a big fucking unknown, but spoiler alarm: youth players can be worse. I like Garcia though

 

[Birdy]

All the anger, anguish shown by him and the talks of new era and reset translate into this shit, parking the bus against Osasuna?

Talk is cheap. Stop acting, you are not an actor, Xavi. Or perhaps you are, learning from the dive master of your former teammate, Prof. Busquets. Fuck this.

This!

I am not gonna lynch XAvi for a result that was unlucky as well based on chances.
But I can't accept to see the team parking the bus vs fucking Osasuna
It was disappointing to see that from Xavi of all people.

NO!
We can get EV back if that's the case and have a better chance compared to any other coach.
That discussion ended in 2019.
Barca cannot play this way.
If some here were critical of Koeman whenever he was parking the bus to protect a lead (and rightfully so!), we should demand the same from Xavi

 

[te amo barca]

going to say this season is pretty good entertainment

 

[serghei]

going to say this season is pretty good entertainment

Good parody - black comedy combo.

 

[Bobo32]

Once again he said the right things afterwards.
But I don't see his decisions as the right ones to acheive what he says he wants. I think Garcia should be a given in defence, even more so when you play 4 central defenders this game... And I think once again that Puig was an obvious player to play, either from the start, but at least as a sub.

Maybe after one or two windows, when he gets to choose his players more, he could be more succesful, but I am starting to doubt now. I think he use the squad a bit poorly so far, and I don't see him force the right principles or have a very clear way to play, yet.

 

[DonAK]

Go back to a 4-3-3 and play Frenkie as CDM with Gavi and Nico as CMs.

Dest as much as he might suck at RB, Araujo and Garcia at CB and Balde at LB when Alba is ded.

At least give it a try. Busquets and Pique are not helping at all, and Araujo out wide on the right is just not it

 

[serghei]

Go back to a 4-3-3 and play Frenkie as CDM with Gavi and Nico as CMs.

Dest as much as he might suck at RB, Araujo and Garcia at CB and Balde at LB when Alba is ded.

At least give it a try. Busquets and Pique are not helping at all, and Araujo out wide on the right is just not it

Good option.

Changes that can be made.

Neto in goal.

Garcia starter more often than not, instead of Pique.

Try midfield 3 with no Busi in it for once. Please.

If we are still shit, so be it.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Once again he said the right things afterwards.
But I don't see his decisions as the right ones to acheive what he says he wants. I think Garcia should be a given in defence, even more so when you play 4 central defenders this game... And I think once again that Puig was an obvious player to play, either from the start, but at least as a sub.

Maybe after one or two windows, when he gets to choose his players more, he could be more succesful, but I am starting to doubt now. I think he use the squad a bit poorly so far, and I don't see him force the right principles or have a very clear way to play, yet.

He was playing long ball and parking the bus against Osasuna.

It's clear to me he got too comfortable in emirland with his massive budget playing against farmers and thought he could come to Barca and fix it right up straight away. As many of us pointed out the warning signs were there in ACL.

 

[khaled_a_d]

I'm not absolving Messi.

I'm saying he was not the root of Barca's amigo culture.

Amigo started with Xavi and Puyol, and the later is my all time favourite player btw.
I just hoped that the amigo mentality will make Xavi selfish a bit and think about himself over those veterans, but so far it doesn't sound good.

His ideas so far are very random, I can accept him experimenting with the squad, but if so why not experimenting without Busquets from time to time.
Why he will be the last player to be benched is beyond me

 

[Birdy]

You are sure he doesn't do that?

Mingueza is pure shit, same as Neto. Balde is a big fucking unknown, but spoiler alarm: youth players can be worse. I like Garcia though

So far we have seen the opposite: that youth played are playing better than veteran senior Amigos.
ALL veterans (with the exception of Busi) can be replaced RIGHT NOW if Xavi wants.
Whatever Pique can do, Eric can do better
Whatever Umtiti and Lenglet can do, Minqueza can do better
Whatever current version of MATS can do, Neto can do/
Even Balde has more energy and dynamism than Alba.

The only veteran Amigo that cannot be replaced at the moment is Busi (we can try Nico there, but it will be an experiment that might not work), because no youngster plays like him, and unfortunately Xavi sees him as the pillar pivot in his tactics.
And to be fair, apart from the top games vs Bayern and co, Busi hasn't been as bad as Pique, Lenglet, Umtiti, MATS, or Alba have been this season so far


So, what's the point of playing them?
IS IT NOT that they have a fucking status in the squad? The thing they are not supposed to have if there is MERITOCRACY?

I would be more OK with a failed season when kids play and develop tactically, than a season when the all same WASHED UP bums keep their fucking status and 'priviledge' to start every game, while we sink on the pitch.
That's totally UNACCEPTABLE