Xavi Managerial Analysis | Changes, Tactics, Signings and Expectations

The one who has the ball, is the master of the game. Combine, pass, play - that’s football. “Xavi’s Barcelona Era” has begun. The midfield maestro is back at the club and culers are definitely excited. Xavi will bring back the Barcelona way, restore discipline and hopefully lead Barcelona to glory. Xavi has already started making some changes at the club, there are several rumours about possible signings and there are widespread opinions flying around about what we can expect from Xavi. The tactics and team selection from Xavi are major talking points as well. Here’s your complete guide to what Xavi will bring to FC Barcelona.

The Immediate Changes

Within a week of his arrival, Xavi has already started shaking up things behind the scenes at Barcelona. He has started to implement several small changes at the club, which might seem insignificant in the larger picture, but they do have significance. Training sessions at Barcelona have not been up to the mark for several years now and Xavi has laid down rules to improve the situation. Players have to arrive 90 minutes before the training session starts, training sessions will be longer, and they will also be working upon player specific drills. Injuries have caused several problems to Barcelona recently and it is being said that Xavi is looking to overhaul the medical staff. Reports have emerged saying that the boss of medical services at Barcelona, Ramon Canal will be sacked soon. Xavi has already brought in a new backroom staff, with only one member being retained from Koeman’s time. Oscar Hernandez (Xavi’s Brother) and Sergio Alegre are the assistant coaches, Ivan Torres is the fitness coach, Jose Ramon De La Fuente is the goalkeeping coach and Sergio Garcia, Toni Lobo and David Prats are the analysts (Source – FC Barcelona Official Website). Squad bonding has also been worked upon, with rules such as eating together and a no phone policy during training sessions and travels being implemented. It has also been said that Pique has cancelled an interview to adhere by Xavi’s new rules. Player fines are also set to be returning, an example would be a “late to training” fine. It’s great to see Xavi implementing such changes and hopefully he can restore discipline and order at the club.

Tactics and Lineups

Xavi’s philosophy is synonymous with the Barcelona way. Xavi is sure to revive the style of play that was followed Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola and we can begin to dream or at least hope once again. Keeping the ball, pressing high, creating numerical superiorities and maintaining width are all important principles of Xavi’s system. Let’s see how Barcelona can lineup and how Xavi might be implementing his principles on the drawing board and the pitch.

Possible Formations

Xavi has predominantly utilized the 3-4-3 at Al Sadd, but on the pitch the player movements merge to form somewhat of a 4-3-3. Xavi, himself has said that the formation itself doesn’t matter, it’s what the playing style is that matters. Xavi is most likely to use a 4-3-3 at Barcelona as it does suit most of the current players, but the 3-4-3 can also be utilized. Let’s look at the potential players Xavi could lineup with and how the tactics would translate on the pitch.

4-3-3

3-4-3

The lineups are very similar to what we have seen from the start of the season. And that is what we can expect. We won’t be seeing wholesale changes in the lineup from Xavi, we can only expect to see slight tactical tweaks and more intensity in play. In terms of the personnel, the fullbacks are the only change. The necessity of the change we’ll come on to later.

Basic Positioning

Whatever the formation may be, Xavi will have specific roles in the team predetermined. These would include 2 interiors that could be two of Pedri, Gavi, Nico and Puig, single or double pivot either Busquets or Frenkie De Jong or both, a Number 9 or False 9 either Memphis or Aguero, two wingers that would likely be Ansu Fati and Dembele and of course the centre backs and goalkeeper.

Build-up against High Press

Superior and ambitious teams will press high and try to win the ball high up the pitch. Barcelona have often succumbed to this kind of pressure. To get past this kind of pressure the 3-4-3 setup can be useful. The added centre back will provide an extra option for the goalkeeper and a double pivot of Busquets and Frenkie De Jong will enable one of the two to help out as well and progress the ball forward. The interiors would also be important in such situations to provide the outlet for the centre backs and pivots. The frontline staying high up the pitch pins the defensive line back as well and once Barcelona get past the high press, they have the players up front already making runs into space. Playing out from the back against a high press is risky but that is how we should be playing, to evoke fear into the opposition and for Barcelona themselves to play fearless football.

Build-up against Low Block

Most teams in La Liga prefer to sit deep with a low block and Barcelona have struggled to penetrate past such teams. It’s very important to stretch the defensive line of the opposition in such cases. Additional runners into space are also equally important. Here’s when the 4-3-3 with high flying fullbacks comes into play. Barcelona can easily progress the ball into the midfield as the opposition is not pressing high with intensity. The opposition wingers also defend in their own half, which means we would need the fullbacks to push up high to support the wingers and create a 2v2 on the flanks. The midfielders play a crucial role against the low block as they not only have to create but also make runs in behind due to the excess amount of opposition centre backs. Memphis’s movement would also play a crucial role in possession. With Memphis dropping deep into the line of the interiors, the opposition centre backs would have a decision to make, track or leave Memphis. Tracking Memphis would leave space in behind for the wingers to exploit and otherwise Memphis would have space to work with. A similar situation was seen in the Manchester Derby, the Manchester United backline were sitting deep, while the likes of KDB, Gundogan and Bernardo Silva (False 9 and Interiors) were dominating the middle of the field due to a lack of marking from United. The added pressure of the fullbacks would allow the wingers to push into the half space and make runs in behind. Attaining numerical superiority on the flanks and a loaded centre of the park will help Xavi’s Barcelona get past most La Liga low block defences.

Barcelona’s Press

Winning the ball back in the opposition half is another important part of Xavi’s system. Xavi wants his team to retain, recycle and dominate possession. An average La Liga opponent Barcelona face will usually be setting up with a 4-4-2 which may turn into a 5-4-1 out of possession. Xavi’s main focus is to man mark each player even if it means bringing the pivots up field and risking a counterattack. If Barcelona lose the ball in the final third, they will initiate an immediate press with almost a front five, similar to Pep’s Manchester City. However, during a goal kick or when a shot is saved, the pressing mechanism works differently.

Here we see that the fullbacks and wide players are already marked, cutting off the wide passing lanes. The next step is to mark the centre backs and the pivots as well. To do this an interior and the striker press the centre backs, while the pivot and the other interior occupy the double pivot of the opposition. The keeper does have the option to go long, and this can cause Barcelona problems with the fullbacks pushed up so high. The centre backs play a crucial role here to prevent the counter, but this is the risk Barcelona under Xavi will take in order to increase their chances of winning the ball back in the opposition half. On paper, this seems all well and good, but on the pitch the players have to be alert and ready. They must be full of intensity and also continue doing so tirelessly.

P.S. - I used “Xavi’s Al Sadd Masterclass” video on the Coaches Voice YouTube channel as reference and tried to adapt it to how Barcelona could play under Xavi, while also adding extra details from what I have seen of his Al Sadd team. You can check out the video yourself to hear from Xavi himself.

Signings

Potential January Loanee – Raheem Sterling

Barcelona need reinforcements in the forward line due to an abundance of recurring injuries. There is also a lack of wingers at the club, with Ansu Fati and Dembele possibly the only natural first team wingers. Abde joined Barcelona B from a Segunda Division team just a few months back and Demir who had shown early promise, might be more of an attacking midfielder than someone who can stretch the pitch. In such a situation, loan move for Raheem Sterling would be a great move for Barcelona. The England International has only played 376 of 990 minutes available this season in the Premier League. Sterling has said that he was open to a move abroad and he could certainly do with a move to Barcelona to show his worth once again. With a plethora of attacking options, Manchester City might be willing to let Sterling leave on loan for half a season. If Barcelona are interested in any of our players, I’m convinced that they can get them said Pep Guardiola himself. Sterling is a quality player and would be an asset to the Barcelona frontline. He can play on either flank and would provide some much needed width. He is a good runner off the ball as well, with his 9.41 progressive passes received and 8.84 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 ranking him in the top 5% of wingers and attacking midfielders. While his 2.32 dribbles, 8.2 progressive carries and 2.73 shots per 90 are also impressive. Under Pep’s tutelage, he is sure to have learnt all the principles to succeed in a possession-based system, making Sterling’s into the Barcelona team no problem.

Summer Possibility – Lisandro Martinez

Initially I was of the opinion that Lisandro Martinez would be the perfect January signing for Xavi’s Barcelona, but I was told it was laughingly oblivious to assume that Ajax would sell a starter in the winter transfer window and rightly so. Nevertheless, Lisandro Martinez would be a great summer signing. I have already discussed his traits such as his ball playing ability, composure and ability to play a high line in this blog post published 3 months ago, which you might want to check out. This time though, it’s his tactical versatility and suitability to the system that make him stand out. The first role he would fulfil is the left-footed centre back role. With Lenglet and Umtiti not being up to the mark, Barcelona need someone of a similar profile to compliment either Araujo, Pique or Garcia. Although Araujo and Garcia can play on the left side of defence, a natural left footed centre back would be ideal. Lisandro Martinez can also play as a defensive midfielder, which is another position Barcelona are lacking depth, with Busquets being the only true holding midfielder as Frenkie De Jong and Nico at the moment are occupying interior roles. Lisandro Martinez could also unlock the switch from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3 in game due to his ability to also play as a left back. The Argentine might just be the player to bolster the Barcelona squad in several key areas next summer.

Rumours Addressed

Despite the financial problems Barcelona are going through, several players are being linked with a move to the club. There are some which are just utterly ridiculous like Pogba, Haaland and Kounde, which are basically impossible signings in the middle of this financial mess. The return of loanees like Trincao and Pjanic are also options but are still unlikely. Meanwhile, Pep’s aforementioned comments on Barcelona have led to players like Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez being linked with a move as well. Players like Dani Olmo and Kessie have also been heavily linked, but these might be players to keep an eye on during the summer transfer window. The possible return of Dani Alves though, is an interesting one. He is a free agent right now and wouldn’t demand high wages either. With Sergi Roberto not up to the mark at right back and Sergino Dest and Mingueza still being very young, Dani Alves might be the one to provide experience on the right flank. SPORT report that Xavi has given his approval for the transfer and the announcement looks imminent.  

Expectations and Final Verdict

Xavi called the Barcelona project a “medium long term” project in his press conference. This statement perfectly encapsulates the squad we have. The squad has quality players, but maybe not ready to compete in the short term. Xavi himself is learning as a manager and it will take time for him to implement his ideology. We need to give Xavi time and back him in the long term. We should expect Barcelona to make top 4 in La Liga, maybe beat Benfica and potentially make a cup run. Nevertheless, if things go bad and Barcelona find themselves in the Europa League and outside the top 4, we still need to back Xavi. This appointment had to be perfect and for it to be so, we will have to wait. Giving a year or two will not be of any use for Barcelona at this moment of time. The bottom line is our expectations should be tempered and me must be hopeful rather than expectant. Xavi has all the tools to succeed at Barcelona and I definitely think we can do so in the long term. Don’t expect the glory days to return very soon, but certainly expect the Barcelona way to return.

There you have it, the Xavi Managerial Analysis. Comment down below, what you are expecting from Xavi’s Barcelona, share the content and why not check out the what’s going on with the Barcelona managerial situation right now, if you haven’t already. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon and remember it’s more than a blog.