Xavi Hernández

[akaranzo]

His philosophy is not great unless it works.

A Xavi that thinks Barca played well when get hammered 4-0 by Bayern as had more of ball is last thing Barca need.

Xavi needs to have moved with the 'meta' of world football as all coaches ever have had to do and react to it.

That's what decent coaches do, great coaches stick to their style and master/tweak it to the point that their team can still achieve success even if every other team has adopted a counter to it. Like Pep, he will always make his team play his style of football and he has shown he can still be successful with it. Xavi could become a coach like that, but I don't think he is yet - hence the problem because if he fails miserably now it could ruin his chances of ever getting to that level.

 

[JamDav1982]

That's what decent coaches do, great coaches stick to their style and master/tweak it to the point that their team can still achieve success even if every other team has adopted a counter to it. Like Pep, he will always make his team play his style of football and he has shown he can still be successful with it. Xavi could become a coach like that, but I don't think he is yet - hence the problem because if he fails miserably now it could ruin his chances of ever getting to that level.

Exactly the point.

Top coaches have a belief as a basis and will always adapt it to modern football.

Pep has been one of the most adaptable coaches going and realised had to play in a different way with different players to succeed and not about point to fact have possession of ball as enough.

Xavi needs much much more than just taking in a possession style of football.

 

[mc_lovin]

Exactly the point.

Top coaches have a belief as a basis and will always adapt it to modern football.

Pep has been one of the most adaptable coaches going and realised had to play in a different way with different players to succeed and not about point to fact have possession of ball as enough.

Xavi needs much much more than just taking in a possession style of football.

It's bold to assume Xavi will just stick to possession at all costs without critical thought. I am pretty sure he understands the nuances.

 

[JamDav1982]

It's bold to assume Xavi will just stick to possession at all costs without critical thought. I am pretty sure he understands the nuances.

Never claimed he would but this idea he has a philosophy of possession based football and that is enough to be a fit is off.

He needs more than that and not to be championing a style of play that is dated from 10 years ago.

Some folk seem to want to dismiss modern day football and want to get back to 10-12 years ago when back then possession was never enough and Pep brought much more than that.

 

[Messi983]

We'll see how he'll set up midfield but if speculations about Xavi wanting likes of Sterling/Coman and keeping Dembele are true then at least it shows he's aware we need more speed upfront. Not saying we should go after those players precisely (depends on the price really) or keep Dembouz at any costs but they fit the profile we need. The same for Kounde who was mentioned as a CB he likes. He'll probably be too expensive so we'll need to look for cheaper alternatives.

 

[mc_lovin]

Never claimed he would but this idea he has a philosophy of possession based football and that is enough to be a fit is off.

He needs more than that and not to be championing a style of play that is dated from 10 years ago.

Some folk seem to want to dismiss modern day football and want to get back to 10-12 years ago when back then possession was never enough and Pep brought much more than that.

I don't think I have seen many people here argue like that. Noone wants a sterile copy of our worst possession based periods. It's all about taking our philosophy (which is pretty vague on it's own) and modernize it/putting his own spin on it. From what I have heard his ideas are more in line with our 2008/09 team than Pep's City. Which one of them is outdated by modern standards by the way?

 

[BBZ8800]

Than go and watch Liverpool mate. Barca philosophy after Cruyff was always about the possession and having the control of the game. If you like fast and direct style of play than Klopp is your man.

But...

What was our philosophy before Cruijff?

Also, does that mean that we will now play in the same fashion eternally, till the end of time, because Cruijff brought it to us in the early 90s?

On the other hand, if we played one way pre-1990, and then moved to something better, aren't we allowed to do the same in the future = move to something better?

But now people will reply: NO! That's who we are!
But then again: that's not who we are. That is who we are since 1990'.
Also, even after 1990', majority of coaches played more random-attacking football and not Cruijff's football.
Basically only Cruijff, Pep, Tito and Setien played true Cruijff's football.
Rijkaard played some so-so version, Van Gaal hated Cruijff, Robson played a normal attacking football with R9 and counters, guys in early 2000s played more or less like EV and Koeman.
Lately: Tata didn't play Cruijff's football, EV didn't play it, Lucho abandoned midfield, Koeman didn't know what to do.

So, when people talk about "Barca's way":
1. it exists only since 1990
2. and even in the last 30 years, probably 70% of coaches played differently than "true Barca's way"

So, when people say something like this:

His philosophy is great - it's exactly what Barca is about.

When they talk about "Barca's way" they probably think of "Pep's way" as if Pep's way equals Barca's history and how we have always played.

So, once and for all, you guys who talk about Barca's way, can we please change the phrases and start to call it = Pep's way.
So, no need to pretending that we want some "Barca's way", just feel free to say: I want to see a carbon copy of Pep's way, this is when I grew up as a fan, that was my first love, this is why I fell in love with Barca, in my eyes that will always remain the best version of football.
So, bring me back my Barca aka = Pep's football.

The part of a reason why I hate Pep are also posts like this, where Barca, Barca's DNA more or less means fking Pep.

 

[Rory]

Number one thing I want Xavi to bring is the speed and intensity at which we try to win back possession. Passing it around in pretty triangles is great but the thing that made the pretty triangles so effective was that the opponent would fight hard to win it back just for us to win it back and send them running around again.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Possession based ...

What is possession based?

 

[Messi983]

tiki taki

 

[khaled_a_d]

So, once and for all, you guys who talk about Barca's way, can we please change the phrases and start to call it = Pep's way.

This is actually very true.
Even Pep style wasn't identical Crujif style, it was more of a pure form with Pep's ideas and finger prints on it.
Crujif loved the football played by coaches like Rijkaard and Hiddink and suggested them to Laporta, same with Koeman during his Ajax day, had full praise to EV during his time in Espanyol.
I honestly doubt that Crujif himself was a copycat of Rinus Michels, and he evolved his tactics.

I hope Xavi will evolve as a coach tbh, because a lot of things he is saying can make you worry, although in his defense he says the right things a lot of times.

 

[Bobo32]

Actually, I want him to come here and succeed, since I'm a fan myself. But he's going to have a way tougher task this time, compared to Lucho, Rijkaard and Pep.

Maybe, Rijkaard luckily recieved Ronaldinho, and Pep had Messi in his best years.
An honest and thoughtful person base his judgement on the situation. I believe Xavi will be the best person for Barcelona at this point, but it doesn't take him winning a CL in a year in order to 'succeed'

BBZ: How many CL:s did the pre-Cruyff Barcelona win?

 

[vegitot]

But...

What was our philosophy before Cruijff?

Also, does that mean that we will now play in the same fashion eternally, till the end of time, because Cruijff brought it to us in the early 90s?

On the other hand, if we played one way pre-1990, and then moved to something better, aren't we allowed to do the same in the future = move to something better?

But now people will reply: NO! That's who we are!
But then again: that's not who we are. That is who we are since 1990'.
Also, even after 1990', majority of coaches played more random-attacking football and not Cruijff's football.
Basically only Cruijff, Pep, Tito and Setien played true Cruijff's football.
Rijkaard played some so-so version, Van Gaal hated Cruijff, Robson played a normal attacking football with R9 and counters, guys in early 2000s played more or less like EV and Koeman.
Lately: Tata didn't play Cruijff's football, EV didn't play it, Lucho abandoned midfield, Koeman didn't know what to do.

So, when people talk about "Barca's way":
1. it exists only since 1990
2. and even in the last 30 years, probably 70% of coaches played differently than "true Barca's way"

So, when people say something like this:


When they talk about "Barca's way" they probably think of "Pep's way" as if Pep's way equals Barca's history and how we have always played.

So, once and for all, you guys who talk about Barca's way, can we please change the phrases and start to call it = Pep's way.
So, no need to pretending that we want some "Barca's way", just feel free to say: I want to see a carbon copy of Pep's way, this is when I grew up as a fan, that was my first love, this is why I fell in love with Barca, in my eyes that will always remain the best version of football.
So, bring me back my Barca aka = Pep's football.

The part of a reason why I hate Pep are also posts like this, where Barca, Barca's DNA more or less means fking Pep.

You are right about that philosophy and DNA. When people talk about it, they talk about Pep's Barca, not Cruyff or Van Gaal or Lucho or Rijkaard.

 

[Messigician]

Is he coming or not?

 

[vegitot]

This is actually very true.
Even Pep style wasn't identical Crujif style, it was more of a pure form with Pep's ideas and finger prints on it.
Crujif loved the football played by coaches like Rijkaard and Hiddink and suggested them to Laporta, same with Koeman during his Ajax day, had full praise to EV during his time in Espanyol.
I honestly doubt that Crujif himself was a copycat of Rinus Michels, and he evolved his tactics.

I hope Xavi will evolve as a coach tbh, because a lot of things he is saying can make you worry, although in his defense he says the right things a lot of times.

Nice post. Only Van Gaal that Cruyff disliked but it is all about their rivalry. Though both use total football.