I know what you’re thinking, so I’d put it out there — Xavi’s back.
Xavi’s appointment as Barcelona manager was written in the stars. Pep Guardiola served as Johan Cruyff’s general on the pitch before becoming Barcelona’s manager. As a result, Guardiola’s general should follow suit. Mark 3 is here, and he’s perfect.
Xavi has experienced great success since starting his managerial career at the Qatari side, Al-Sadd, in May 2019. The Spaniard managed to assemble a squad of players that play attractive football — much like the one he was a part of in his playing days at Barca. Al-Sadd won the Qatari Cup and the Qatar Stars League in the 2020/21 season and reached the 2020 AFC Champions League final. These achievements had many Barcelona fans clamoring for him to take over the club sooner rather than later.
Xavi understands football well and has a clear idea of how the game should be played. He believes that the most important thing in football is possessing the ball, which is what his Al-Sadd side showcased. “Total control of the ball, and not just having the ball for the sake of having it, but to attack and create chances and hurt the opposition,” says Xavi to The Coaches’ Voice. He wants his team to be the protagonists, win the ball, attack, and dominate the game with the ball.
Xavi started coaching Al-Sadd with a 3–4–3 formation. It appeared that this was his favored set-up, though the squad had played in a 4–3–3, 4–2–3–1, and a 4–1–4–1. His 3–4–3 variation is particularly offensive, as he tries to stretch the opponent by utilizing width by having two wingers high and wide, with a striker pinning defenses back.
Xavi likes to make sure that every area of the pitch is occupied throughout the buildup, which usually begins with four men at the back. Two central midfielders, one of whom drops into the defensive line to become the 4th man, are Xavi’s orchestrators. The key to the buildup is to use one-touch passing sequences to open up space, lengthen the field, and gain a numerical advantage. Even up the pitch, these concepts apply.
Xavi’s method of getting the ball into the final third is to extend the opposition line and play the ball in the opponents’ 18-yard area, with the wingers providing that width. Using the wingers to provide width is akin to how Barcelona and Spain played during Xavi’s playing days. This shows how much of an influence Luis Aragonés and Pep Guardiola have been in curating Xavi’s football philosophy.
Al-Sadd presses from the front, preferring to engage wide, forcing their opponents to struggle in that area. When Al-Sadd loses the ball further up the field, they strive to build a numerical advantage around the players closest to the ball. Xavi’s team is designed to keep possession of the ball, so they don’t have much defending.
The Barça team can play in the manner that Xavi desires. Many of the players possess technical prowess, and many can alter the game on their own. However, the board needs to reinforce the squad. The current financial situation will surely hinder progress in the market, but some players won’t be in Catalunya for too long.
There’s a lot of work to do, and it won’t be easy bringing Barça back to where it belongs. The last game at Camp Nou recorded an attendance of 37,278. It only means one thing. Barça fans have stopped dreaming.
“The first thing the club had to recover was the principles that make people fall in love with your team again.” These are words from Jose Mourinho when asked how he got Porto back on track in 2002. Xavi must follow suit. The Barça way. It’s what the club requires in order to reclaim its former glory. He must rekindle the excitement that has been stifled by recent events in Barcelona.
He will.
In the meantime, I want you all to do something for me. I want you to put word out there that we’re back up.
