Xavi Hernández

[xXKonan]

It's been said before but what does he expect with playing a backline that consists of Alba-Pique and Alves along with Busi being the DM.

No seriously what is the thought process behind it? Does he really expect these guys to somehow turn back the clock and perform how they did when we won the treble in 2015? These guys are all fucking old and decline and for fuck sakes fucking Alves is 38 years old. It's one thing having one of them on the pitch but having all 4 of them?

Yeah this ain't it bro, I get the team has holes in it but this is straight-up bologna.

 

[serghei]

There's too much focus on the amigos. Our squad is shit - with or without them.

Survive this season (meaning CL) and hope for a goat transfer window in Summer with real consequences for some players hopefully. There's nothing I blame Xavi for (yet).

This team atm is formed from:

1. Old "experienced" amigos or other washed-up players (we know who they are) - 50%
2. Talented players that stay fit (Gavi, Ferran, Frenkie, Pedri, maybe Araujo if we're very generous) - 15%
3. Hard-working players that are basically the definition of average (Jutgla, Luuk, Braithwaite) - 10%
4. Overpaid delusional bums with a victim's complex (Umtiti, Coutinho - loan, Lenglet, Dembele) - 7%
5. Decent young players that really aren't as good as many hope or hoped (Dest, Garcia, Puig) - 6%
6. Superb young players that could make a difference but appear crooked (Ansu) - 2%

 

[Horatio]

This team atm is formed from:

1. Old "experienced" amigos or other washed-up players (we know who they are) - 50%
2. Talented players that stay fit (Gavi, Ferran, Frenkie, Pedri, maybe Araujo if we're very generous) - 15%
3. Hard-working players that are basically the definition of average (Jutgla, Luuk, Braithwaite) - 10%
4. Overpaid delusional bums with a victim's complex (Umtiti, Coutinho - loan, Lenglet, Dembele) - 7%
5. Decent young players that really aren't as good as many hope or hoped (Dest, Garcia, Puig) - 6%
6. Superb young players that could make a difference but appear crooked (Ansu) - 2%

Sounding mighty apologetic towards coach all of a sudden sabes?

 

[Bobo32]

1. World class players that might be a bit over the top (Alves, Alba, Pique, Busquets)
2. Players who should be world class and in their best years (Frenkie, Stegen)
3. Very young players that have already proven themselves at the highest level (Gavi, Pedri, Garcia, Fati, maybe Araujo if we're very generous)
4. Hard-working players who can fill a role well but are not essential (Roberto, Nico, Braithwaite, Luuk)
5. Overpaid delusional bums with a victim's complex (Umtiti, Depay, Coutinho - loan, Lenglet, Dembele)
6. Superb youngish players that could make a difference but don't get used (Puig)
7. Youngish players that are not really up to the task but could be decent in a functioning team (Mingueza, Abde, Jutgla, Dest etc)

Good young options for full back roles are needed, and one or two great attackers. Midfield looks good, but underperforms massively, they play at the wrong mental state.
It's a great squad, the team only needs two or three players playing very inspired like Fati, Puig and sometimes Gavi does.

 

[Horatio]

1. World class players that might be a bit over the top (Alves, Alba, Pique, Busquets)
2. Players who should be world class and in their best years (Frenkie, Stegen)
3. Very young players that have already proven themselves at the highest level (Gavi, Pedri, Garcia, Fati, maybe Araujo if we're very generous)
4. Hard-working players who can fill a role well but are not essential (Roberto, Nico, Braithwaite, Luuk)
5. Overpaid delusional bums with a victim's complex (Umtiti, Depay, Coutinho - loan, Lenglet, Dembele)
6. Superb youngish players that could make a difference but don't get used (Puig)
7. Youngish players that are not really up to the task but could be decent in a functioning team (Mingueza, Abde, Jutgla, Dest etc)

Good young options for full back roles are needed, and one or two great attackers. Midfield looks good, but underperforms massively, they play at the wrong mental state.
It's a great squad, the team only needs two or three players playing very inspired like Fati, Puig and sometimes Gavi does.

When I was breaking down team like this in same way when Koeman was coach I was ridiculed. Now look at you guys.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Xavi should have gone to another good club in europe before coming to us.

 

[Rory]

Xavi should have gone to another good club in europe before coming to us.

Should have gone to barca b. A bunch of ready-made players for him to imprint the same football ideas on them they've been learning for years. If any players in the world are going to take Xavi at his word it would be them.

He wanted a shit load of money to add to his shit load of money so he went to Qatar and now we're paying the price.

 

[Bobo32]

When I was breaking down team like this in same way when Koeman was coach I was ridiculed. Now look at you guys.

Hm what do you mean? I literally wrote "It's a great squad", and it was even better last year with Messi of course (also Griezmann should be at 2. even though he was clearly 5.)

Break down Liverpools squad and see where that takes you (please think about the players isolated, not in the great system Klopp put them in, so think of Salah at Roma, Dijk at Southampton, Milner at City, etc)

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Should have gone to barca b. A bunch of ready-made players for him to imprint the same football ideas on them they've been learning for years. If any players in the world are going to take Xavi at his word it would be them.

He wanted a shit load of money to add to his shit load of money so he went to Qatar and now we're paying the price.

Ya like Zidane did with Castilla. Going to Qatar was a bad move from Xavi.

 

[Horatio]

Hm what do you mean? I literally wrote "It's a great squad", and it was even better last year with Messi of course (also Griezmann should be at 2. even though he was clearly 5.)

Break down Liverpools squad and see where that takes you (please think about the players isolated, not in the great system Klopp put them in, so think of Salah at Roma, Dijk at Southampton, Milner at City, etc)

Ok sorry. Should have read your post more carefully. Sounded as if you wrote off 60% of the team. I still think you did...

 

[Bobo32]

Ok sorry. Should have read your post more carefully. Sounded as if you wrote off 60% of the team. I still think you did...

I listed 11 world class players, 4 good rotating players, 1 great youngish player, and 4 decent rotating options. That's great, and then I even forgot Ferran Torres.
I don't make any excuses for Xavi for not succeeding with the players, and even if it was a terrible squad, I wouldn't make any excuses for him for not showing improvement over time.

The squad is a bit unbalanced though as I also wrote.

 

[ajnotkeith]

1. World class players that might be a bit over the top (Alves, Alba, Pique, Busquets)
2. Players who should be world class and in their best years (Frenkie, Stegen)
3. Very young players that have already proven themselves at the highest level (Gavi, Pedri, Garcia, Fati, maybe Araujo if we're very generous)
4. Hard-working players who can fill a role well but are not essential (Roberto, Nico, Braithwaite, Luuk)
5. Overpaid delusional bums with a victim's complex (Umtiti, Depay, Coutinho - loan, Lenglet, Dembele)
6. Superb youngish players that could make a difference but don't get used (Puig)
7. Youngish players that are not really up to the task but could be decent in a functioning team (Mingueza, Abde, Jutgla, Dest etc)

Good young options for full back roles are needed, and one or two great attackers. Midfield looks good, but underperforms massively, they play at the wrong mental state.
It's a great squad, the team only needs two or three players playing very inspired like Fati, Puig and sometimes Gavi does.

Except Pedri in that list of 'highest level proven players' how have any of those guys proven themselves @ highest level? Garcia? Hell he's barely played a few dozen pro games.
Same for Gavi, Fati. Except Pedri and Araujo those guys haven't played enough to gauge their game yet.

 

[Bobo32]

Except Pedri in that list of 'highest level proven players' how have any of those guys proven themselves @ highest level? Garcia? Hell he's barely played a few dozen pro games.
Same for Gavi, Fati. Except Pedri and Araujo those guys haven't played enough to gauge their game yet.

Gavi dominated a game v. Italy wasn't it? Garcia was very good against France.
But fine, it is probably better to rephrase it as "players who are obviously of the highest class" and maybe remove Araujo from there. I have seen enough to gauge them, but maybe they haven't "proven themselves" yet really.

 

[serghei]

Sounding mighty apologetic towards coach all of a sudden sabes?

Nah. But the situation is bad. In the sense that we could be caught in a top 4 fight with no big titles for quite a few years, 3-4 at a minimum. The difference is, for me, it's not a big problem. It's a normal low in the history of any club.

There will be a big problem for this club though if in circa 2025 we'll not be much better. For the fans, we'll easily survive, lol.

The only problem is people still want and expect the magic pill that will make us magically burn 3-4 stages, turn back the clock, get 200-300m richer by magic, and have us back to beating the best teams in the world in 1-2 years. Hence the Haaland talk and shit like that. The reality is much different.

I think even Pep would struggle if put in this spot.

You can talk about the injustice done by fans in regards to EV and Koeman, with, arguably, fair credit, but the thing is the development in the last 2-3 years has been a downslope. This season is by far the worst moment since 2000 for this club. No money, no real stars, best players injured, washed-up players everywhere, fucking mediocre players like Abde and Jutgla forming 65% of the attacking line . Hilarious. If we played in EPL, we'd be sitting near Newcastle and Burnley. No joke.

Trim down expectations. Sack Xavi, do what you want, go to town. It's inevitable. It's not "sink like Titanic" stuff unless you are shallow and dramatic enough to think winning no big titles is a disaster. It's the cyclical nature of sports. Liverpool, a top 6-7 club historically, went 30 years without a single league title. That's context for you. United, a top 5 club is nearly 10 years and counting.

 

[BarcaOG]

xavi as a manager = big flop, clueless dogmatist