Barcelona's Managerial Situation ft. Ronald Koeman and Xavi

Barcelona have gone 3 consecutive away games without scoring under Koeman, the last time this happened the Barcelona manager at the time Louis Van Gaal was sacked. Koeman and Van Gaal have both lost their last 2 games in-charge of Barcelona before being sacked. Crisis is the word that is associated with both these dark times. Koeman’s reign at Barcelona has been far from ideal. He surely deserves criticism but was it really the right moment to sack Koeman? There are certainly reasons for doing so, but there are also several positives that back Koeman’s time at Barcelona. Nevertheless, Koeman is gone and now it appears that Xavi might take over at Barcelona. Fans are sure to be excited about this, but there are many risks that come with it. However, Xavi’s work at Al Sadd show positives signs and it might just work at Barcelona. There’s a lot going on right now with Barcelona’s managerial situation, so let’s try and analyze it.

Ronald Koeman’s Reign at Barcelona

Culers will have conflicting opinions about Koeman’s managerial stint at Barcelona. He came in at a time when Barcelona were in crisis. Some would say he has steadied the ship, while some would argue the club is still in a similar situation. There are still some obvious positives and quite many reasons for his sacking. He did come in at a difficult situation, blooded several youngsters into the team, but his in-game management and tactics left a lot to be desired. Koeman’s reign at Barcelona has been a roller coaster which has somehow proven to stabilize the club.

The Positives

Ronald Koeman is Barcelona through and through. That goal against Sampdoria to win Barcelona its first European Cup will never be forgotten. Although he didn’t implement many Cruyffista principles as a coach, he was willing to give his all for the club. He paid his own release clause to come and coach Barcelona in a difficult situation when it would have been difficult to find a new manager. He was the first to take a wage cut as well leading by example. In the end though, he pocketed a hefty sum, well let’s not talk about that. Koeman was always ready to take the criticism that came his way and was a shield that protected Barcelona in these difficult times. Any other manager might not have even lasted this long. No one can deny Koeman’s work with the youngsters at Barcelona. He did put immense faith in the veterans but was still successful in integrating the bright gems into the team. Koeman deserves credit for giving opportunities and developing the likes of Pedri, Dest, Araujo, Mingueza, Gavi and Nico. Riqui Puig, of course, was a completely different situation, but we will never know what happened with that one. Koeman’s management of the team was also great last season. Particularly in the middle of the season, Barcelona looked energized, united and showing some real progress. Later in the season though it all went crashing down.

Rightly Sacked?

Barcelona’s start to the season has been immensely poor and there’s no getting past it. The team is not getting results and the overall play is not up to the mark. Koeman’s tactics and game management have come back to haunt him, and injuries have not helped. With several big-name players leaving and several key players injured, Koeman may have deserved a longer leash. The lack of a clear successor is also another problem. Barcelona essentially had two routes to take. Either back Koeman and accept the situation of low-quality squad with a mediocre manager or go down the road of a new manager once again. It seems like high time we realise that a club can not run with managers being sacked so often. A total of 4 managers (Valverde in January 2020, Setien, Koeman and the new manager) in 2 years is a worrying sign. Last season too, Koeman’s Barcelona got off to a bad start, but were able to recover. Sacking Koeman might be the correct choice, but only if the right man is appointed and that being someone who has a long-term plan in mind.

Xavi – The Potential Return

It might just happen, the return of Xavi Hernandez. This appointment is sure to get any culer excited. Xavi personifies the Barcelona philosophy. His Al Sadd team is a ball dominant team, press high and follow positional fluid play. He has said several times that it is his dream to coach Barcelona one day. Nevertheless. there are some risks associated with this appointment. Xavi is still quite inexperienced when it comes to coaching and many fans would fear a Lampard or Pirlo Situation with Xavi at Barcelona. Xavi still has a lot of time to gain experience and then coach Barcelona as the door will probably be open to him for much longer. The appointment now looks imminent with Fabrizio Romano himself saying, “Xavi is considered the favourite to take over the Barcelona job”.

The Favourite

Xavi is the favourite right now to become Barcelona manager, but it will take time to appoint him. Xavi’s Al Sadd have an important game against second placed team Al-Duhail in the Qatari League coming up on November 3^rd. It has been said that the Al Sadd management want Xavi to be present atleast up until that game. The media has also reported that they want Laporta himself to flyover to discuss the deal, and it’s also been said that there is a “Barcelona Clause” in Xavi’s Al Sadd contract allowing him to leave for Barcelona. The legitimacy of these reports is another question. With the international break coming up after games against Dynamo Kiev and Celta Vigo, Xavi might be appointed then to allow him to settle in and work with the squad during the international break.

Managerial Principles

Xavi as a manager plays the Barcelona way. His Al Sadd team always try to maintain possession and press high to win the ball back. Although the team’s formation starts as a 3-4-3, in possession it often switches into a 4-3-3. The formation is quite flexible due to the fluidity of the team’s movement. Xavi lays great emphasis on numerical superiority as well and this leads to several movements of the players on the pitch. The midfielders play a crucial role in maintaining numerical superiority. The interiors often push into the half spaces against low block teams and when the team loses the ball, the pivot tends to press high as well. Keeping the pitch wide using wingers is another feature of the system Xavi plays. Maintaining a high line, winning the ball back in the opposition half and focusing on the second ball are some other fragments of Xavi’s managerial game.  

There you have it, the entire Managerial Situation at Barcelona analysed. Comment down below if you think Koeman was rightly sacked, share the content and why not check out the Drawing Board Learnings from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, where I discussed what Barcelona can adopt from Pep’s system. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon and remember it's more than a blog.