Xavi Hernández

[mc_lovin]

The point is you start a new era and trim some fat off the wage bill as well by removing their ridiculous wages if you can.

Lenglet/Garcia = Pique. I don't think you'd notice a difference, I mean hell, we saw Umtiti last time out and dare I say it he wasn't any different to Pique.

Frenkie for Busquets? Easy choice for me. I don't think Busquets 'veteran' mentality is adding much to the midfield and 'young midfield' is just a cliche, even if they're young their mentality is probably better than that of the veterans and Frenkie is turning 25 now.

Alba is fine and we can make do with him, he's been pretty good this season actually.

Neto for Mats, again easy choice, sell Mats to the highest bidder and get maybe 30m and free up big cap space.

With the veterans, would we finish 5th instead of 6th? Or 7th instead of 8th? Little difference for me if they are actually adding anything and we may as well get rid and help our finances by selling some of them, whilst giving the youngsters space to develop and see if any of them turn good.

Or 4th instead of 5th?!

I mean I am all for replacing them, and selling MAtS to the highest bidder in January, but it needs to be an organic process. Not just kicking them out without alternatives. I don't think Pique earns much either anymore, but he's the easiest to replace. Again, it's all talk about the future, not the immediate reality Xavi found himself in.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Or 4th instead of 5th?!

I mean I am all for replacing them, and selling MAtS to the highest bidder in January, but it needs to be an organic process. Not just kicking them out without alternatives. I don't think Pique earns much either anymore, but he's the easiest to replace. Again, it's all talk about the future, not Xavi's immediate reality he found himself in.

At this point I am not even sure if Pique needs to be replaced. He is that bad. Not that Umtiti can cover for him, he sucks too.


Otherwise you are totally right. We need to have replacement ready for these guys.

 

[ajnotkeith]

Trimming the fat:

Coutinho, Umtiti, Lenglet, Puig, Roberto and Pique.

These guys have to leave next summer at last. Rather January (Coutinho and Umtiti especially).

Stegen too next summer if good opportunity to sell and find better replacement.

Busi and Alba stay one more season. Don't see them leaving.

It will be hard to sell those guys on immediate transfer, clubs will want a loan option if we want to charge any kind of decent fee for them.

I think best case we can get like 40-50m for Coutinho if he goes on initial loan and does well, somewhere like Newcastle.

Umtiti could find minutes in a relegation team maybe but none of them will take his wages so the only market for him is probably Qatar or Saudi Arabia.

Lenglet will be easy to sell for 10-20m, despite his bad performances he has been playing a good amount since he came and on low wages, so will be easy to shift.

Puig was close to leave for Milan with 20m option a year or two ago but never materialised. His stock only went down since then, I think some medium size club might take a punt on him for 5-10m like Benfica or Sassuolo?

Roberto 50% salary cut or release.

Pique wouldn't find minutes in any decent first-division team, maybe a relegation one but he'll never go, so let's see if he retires or stays out his contract. Or maybe goes to MLS.

Of course all of that depends on their willingness to leave, and they never want to leave, so it will be a tough job.

 

[DonAK]

Okay, clue me in... what are the alternatives this season? I am quite confident to shoot any of them down. Lenglet/Garcia for Pique? Sidestep. Nico/Frenkie for Busquets? Teenage midfield. Balde for Alba? Eh, rather naive. Neto for MAtS? Another sidestep at best, but honestly I think Neto is easily worse. I just don't see it.

Next season is hopfully different, but that's primarily the managements job (and only partially Xavis).

Garcia for Pique.

Frenkie for Busquets.

Alba rotated more instead of playing every game.

Probably not much that can be done with ter Stegen right now, but next season he gotta go or be benched or for once have an open competition with a GK who can bench him.

Pique and Busquets are playing almost every game they're available regardless of who we are meeting and how they are performing. The argument about inexperience would be valid if our experienced players proved to be useful instead of being passengers, but like Xavi said himself, it's the kids that are carrying the team right now.

 

[serghei]

Neto for Stegen should happen immediately. Neto doesn't have to do much, just don't concede shots from 30m on the center of his goal, and don't do blunders. Already better than the German if he does that. Although he has a natural gift for blunders just as Stegen does, both carry the Karius genome.

Garcia for Pique too even if Garcia is super slow too, vs France he was good. I don't think Pique is capable to have a good game vs Benzema and Mbappe right now. Plus, I hate Pique so seeing this clown benched would be great.

With Busi it's harder until Pedri comes back (especially since Gavi is played farther up often to cover for injuries in the offense), but when Pedri is back, I want to see him playing 50% of the games at best, not nearly 95%.

Even with Fati back we should see Busi starting to get benched, in favor of a Frenkie, Gavi, Nico midfield.

Xavi has it tough and the vast majority of decisions take themselves, but the very low 10% that he can make a difference in, he's not delivering so far. But it's early, and I expect him to make the adjustments.

 

[gregorrin10]

Truth.

At least it looks like Pique could be gone. Busi will stay next season and Alba too.

Busi hopefully a sub. Alba might be starter.

Pique NEEDS to be gone. No ifs and buts about it. Really don't care if he goes to the MLS or keeps his promise on retiring once Barca say they don't need him anymore. We have enough cover for him as it is, not to mention we might bring in a new CB too anyway. Starting midfield next season should be Gavi-Frenkie-Pedri, with Nico, Busquets and Puig as backups, Busquets playing that Xavi 2015 role. Even though the ideal scenario would be getting rid of Busquets altogether and bringing in a free agent like Zakaria or Kessie. If we bring in a CDM, then Nico plays as the back up RCM, if we bring in a CM, then put Nico as the back up CDM, which I think he would be better anyway. But sadly Xavi is hell bent on keeping Busquets at the club for as long as possible it seems.

Alba can still be a starter, but he desperately needs someone to actually challenge him for that starting role and possibly overtake him until the 2nd half of the season, especially if Alba starts clowning around or is simply not fit (getting injured more and more in the last 2 years, not a fact you'd wanna overlook next summer when planning for LB). Can't rely on him playing 90% of the games anymore, then panicking and making RBs (Dest, Roberto) or even CBs (Mingueza) play LB, when Alba is not fit. Gaya/Grimaldo would be ideal, I'd personally prefer Gaya, since he'll also be heading into the final year of his contract, could get him for 20-30M at the most, which should be feasible, especially if we sell Dest.

 

[gregorrin10]

Alba actually looked confused on where to position himself, looking towards the bench more and more. And was still playing this weird LM/LCM/ST hybrid position. I'm sorry to say but this is a total tactical screw up from Xavi. Lucky winner from Nico and a near offside call going on our side (I actually think it was offside and it should've been given) and a fantastic game from Gavi doesn't change that.

Why the fuck was Alba not instructed to sticking to playing LB, the commentators actually had a point, when they were saying it's an unnecessary risk to be playing with only 3 at the back when attacking, especially when that LCB is Lenglet, who is known for screw ups and lost balls, the first conceded goal was a direct consequence of Alba not being able to return defend, and later of course Ter Static again not being able to save a shot right at him.

 

[KingLeo10]

He?s going to be a failure because he is the same spineless manager as Setien, Koeman, and EV - none of them will ever bench Busquets

 

[Messigician]

He?s going to be a failure because he is the same spineless manager as Setien, Koeman, and EV - none of them will ever bench Busquets

Yes yes Busquets is the problem

 

[mc_lovin]

He?s going to be a failure because he is the same spineless manager as Setien, Koeman, and EV - none of them will ever bench Busquets

At least we play ballsy football under him.

 

[iniestaGOAT]

No one can cover for anybody. All the cbs are bad it's about time we start investing in some defenders smh

 

[Barcaman]

We do need few veterans to lead the way but I do have a problem if they are playing regardless of their form or whatever.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

He?s going to be a failure because he is the same spineless manager as Setien, Koeman, and EV - none of them will ever bench Busquets

EV is GOAT compared to setien/Koe/Xavi. Absolute unbelievable what i am seeing here. In my 25 years of being a barca fan this is the bottom !

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

We do need few veterans to lead the way but I do have a problem if they are playing regardless of their form or whatever.

Now Alexis and maybe Iniesta will come back.....

 

[Respekt_III]

I'd be willing to give xavi way more time if he went all in with the youngsters however brining in past it players to play koeman or valverde ball is a sack on the spot offence for me.

I'd like to see less of pique, mats, busquets alba and lenglet.