Zinedine Zidane

[serghei]

He will make an impact with his purist football views, or fail.
Xavi only value one style of football, in fact, whenever Barca lost, he often came up with "football lost", "only one team actually tried to play football"etc. That should tell you all you need to know about Xavi the coach, it will be tiki-taka, all day, everyday.
Zidane plays whatever style of football that is needed, Xavi will not.

Which is why Xavi will be good for us. We want to play in a certain way, and it happens to be the way that Xavi used to play on the field. A team with Barca's resources should be able to win titles playing the football they want to play style wise.

 

[El Gato]

Which is why Xavi will be good for us. We want to play in a certain way, and it happens to be the way that Xavi used to play on the field. A team with Barca's resources should be able to win titles playing the football they want to play style wise.

Only if he chooses the right players to ignore his pedantic and dictatorial demeanor. Xavi needs a reflection of himself as floor supervisor type of figure for it to work.

 

[serghei]

Only if he chooses the right players to ignore his pedantic and dictatorial demeanor. Xavi needs a reflection of himself as floor supervisor type of figure for it to work.

Pep was also a dictactor and everybody knows how much fear Pep's Barca put into teams. A dictator type manager is not that bad if he is a former club legend and has one of the best football minds in the history of the game.

We are not like Madrid, ultra flexible, parking the bus this week and attacking next week. We can only win by outplaying the opposition and this is what we must do again, not only in La Liga, but in CL as well. Xavi understands this very well.

 

[JamDav1982]

Xavi needs to work somewhere first even if it is within the club.

He doesnt come off as having anywhere near the charisma Pep does either and the reason Pep was succesful was far more about him and his methods than being a club legend.

 

[thefa]

What in the actual flying fuck

What? I keep reading here that this Madrid team is bang average and that Zidane is a clueless coach, yet they can't stop winning the champions league ffs. Either the team is just that good or Zidane is a freaking wizard, if not both.

But apparently " luck + referees " is the hill that some people want to die on.

 

[serghei]

What? I keep reading here that this Madrid team is bang average and that Zidane is a clueless coach, yet they can't stop winning the champions league ffs. Either the team is just that good or Zidane is a freaking wizard, if not both.

But apparently " luck + referees " is the hill that some people want to die on.

I'm pretty sure everyone here thinks Madrid is a pretty great team which is why they have won 3 in a row. But from here to be named best ever, based on a season where they finished 17 points behind Barcelona is a conclusion only a kid or a clueless person would draw.

The best team ever doesn't finish 17 points behind their archrival and gets humiliated 3-0 at home. It's pretty simple really once you watch a bit of football and don't rely only on some stats.

 

[El Gato]

Pep was also a dictactor and everybody knows how much fear Pep's Barca put into teams. A dictator type manager is not that bad if he is a former club legend and has one of the best football minds in the history of the game.

We are not like Madrid, ultra flexible, parking the bus this week and attacking next week. We can only win by outplaying the opposition and this is what we must do again, not only in La Liga, but in CL as well. Xavi understands this very well.

I know, I agree with it all, it's the philosophy. Absolutely.

And yet, even if you choose to go back to that, you need the building blocks. Xavi in 1 or 2 years would be fighting uncomparably more of an uphill battle to get the type of team he needs. Bar an incredibly successful generation of players coming out of La Masia soon, there's little chance that pure, shall we call it "mes que", philosophy will succeed short term. And if it doesn't, Barto and the fans you have right now will not be keen to wait.
Nor am I sure if Xavi is exactly the same type of teacher as Pep. Something tells me he has less patience for failure to adhere to instructions.

 

[serghei]

I know, I agree with it all, it's the philosophy. Absolutely.

And yet, even if you choose to go back to that, you need the building blocks. Xavi in 1 or 2 years would be fighting uncomparably more of an uphill battle to get the type of team he needs. Bar an incredibly successful generation of players coming out of La Masia soon, there's little chance that pure, shall we call it "mes que", philosophy will succeed short term. And if it doesn't, Barto and the fans you have right now will not be keen to wait.
Nor am I sure if Xavi is exactly the same type of teacher as Pep. Something tells me he has less patience for failure to adhere to instructions.

We have the players to play like that should our manager be brave enough to try, and competent enough to make it work. The fans would surely embark on this journey. We only lack 1-2 pieces, and we can get them. Griezmann and Arthur and we're up there with Madrid in terms of both first 11 and squad.

 

[DonAK]

Xavi was the person who held the team together after the Lucho v Messi fallout.

But I couldn't care less about Xavi right now as he don't want the job. He renewed for another two years as a player in Qatar and will take over their National Team in 2020 or something.

Cannot vouch for someone that don't want the job.

 

[Joan]

I think Xavi will keep the spirits high and the team motivated. Also, believe players in the squad will learn a lot from him.

What worries me is how flexible he'll be. To play our way you need quality players and similar type. Sincerely hope he won't try to be new Pep.

 

[thefa]

I'm pretty sure everyone here thinks Madrid is a pretty great team which is why they have won 3 in a row. But from here to be named best ever, based on a season where they finished 17 points behind Barcelona is a conclusion only a kid or a clueless person would draw.

The best team ever doesn't finish 17 points behind their archrival and gets humiliated 3-0 at home. It's pretty simple really once you watch a bit of football and don't rely only on some stats.

You're right, but I feel history wil be kinder to 2014-2018 Madrid than some would like.

People still talk about 70's bayern and hail it as an ATG team despite their poor league from in their second and third European cup wins. ( They even managed to finish 10th in one of these seaons !! )

 

[DonAK]

Real Madrid have a 3-peat of CL titles. They don't need anything more. History will remember them as the only team to achieve this. This is why Puyol came out lamenting the fact that one of the best Barcelona sides ever is being overshadowed by this. He knows it and so does the players.

 

[serghei]

Real Madrid have a 3-peat of CL titles. They don't need anything more. History will remember them as the only team to achieve this. This is why Puyol came out lamenting the fact that one of the best Barcelona sides ever is being overshadowed by this. He knows it and so does the players.

Agreed. Puyol is talking about the current Barca though, not Pep's dream team. It's obvious that in the last 3 seasons Madrid have been better.

 

[DonAK]

Agreed. Puyol is talking about the current Barca though, not Pep's dream team. It's obvious that in the last 3 seasons Madrid have been better.

Current Real Madrid need one more league title and they'll have two league titles + 4 CL titles in four years. Because they will likely win the CL again next season and be motivated like last season to win the league title.

 

[serghei]

Current Real Madrid need one more league title and they'll have two league titles + 4 CL titles in four years. Because they will likely win the CL again next season and be motivated like last season to win the league title.

We'll see. If that happens they have a lot more arguments than now. Now they are specialized in CL and a mess in Spain. Very much a cup tournament team who can't keep up a high enough level for a full year and struggle with consistency.

Pep's team was the full package. Unplayable at their peak, and unmatched over a full season as well in terms of consistently putting in amazing performances week in week out. Had a lot more arguments that Madrid's Zidane as it stands right now, 3 CL in a row or not. We were extremely close of doing it as well btw. If Bojan's goal vs Inter wasn't disallowed for nothing, we would've won it in 2010 on Bernabeu. Ultra fine margins. Madrid fluked 2 CLs and we failed to win 1 of them being extremely dominant. This is why a competition built on such fine margins can't be that central to the discussion about which team is better. The league is a better indicator.