Xavi‘s Era ends
Spanish football legend Xavi has made his decision to leave managerial role at F.C. Barcelona at the season’s conclusion.
Xavi’s decision to step down was made after a disappointing 3–5 defeat against Villarreal last Saturday. Xavi, a figure synonymous with Barcelona, succeeded Ronald Koeman as manager in November 2021 after the club paid out his release clause to Al-Sadd SC.
The Homecoming
Xavi Hernandez’s recent announcement to leave FC Barcelona as its manager marks the end of a significant chapter for both the legendary Spanish midfielder and the club.
Xavi was long tipped to take over the reins at Barcelona, with his name being thrown around as a promise during Barcelona’s presidential elections. Xavi’s transition from a celebrated player to a manager began at Al-Sadd. After ending his playing career there, he became their manager, achieving seven trophies in a short time by implementing his well-known Tiki-Taka style. With around 100 games in charge and boasting a 65% win rate, Barcelona’s entourage personally flew down to Qatar to negotiate the terms of Xavi’s release to bring him home.
The day he was brought in, Barcelona were NINTH in the La Liga table, an unfamiliar territory for the Catalan giants. The initial phase was rocky, with Xavi struggling to overcome the mess created during Koeman’s tenure and saw Barcelona fail to qualify from their Champions League group and drop down to the Europa League for the first time in over 15 years. He also lost in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals against Real Madrid, which was also his first clasico as a manager. To make matters worse, Athletic Bilbao knocked his side out of the Copa Del Rey in the Round of 16 soon after. With only the Europa League to play for, Xavi’s team found momentum soon after and despite getting knocked out of Europe by Eintracht Frankfurt, Barcelona, rejuvenated under his leadership, climbed up to finish second in La Liga, just behind arch-rivals Real Madrid.
This achievement was particularly impressive, considering the limited experience Xavi had as a top-flight manager. No one expected such a turnaround from an amateur coach in such a short time, and all eyes were glued towards Xavi as he entered his first full season.
His first full season was impressive and saw further strategic moves, as he was able to lure big names like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha to sign for the club while also while being clever in the free agent market with Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie. A lot of assets were sold, naming rights were given away, new sponsors were brought in so that the club could have enough funds to get Xavi a team that could compete with Europe’s elite.
The season culminated in triumph, as despite crashing out of the Champions League for the second consecutive season, Xavi won his first trophy — the Supercopa de Espana, by beating Real Madrid in the final. He also bested Los Blancos to the league title, securing Barcelona’s first league title since 2019. Xavi was hailed as Barcelona’s saviour and was in talks of getting a new contract. However, then came..
The Collapse
Xavi’s men entered the 2023/24 season riding high on the waves of their previous La Liga triumph. However, as the season unfolded, the Catalan giants found themselves grappling with unexpected setbacks. Despite being unbeaten in the league for the first 10 rounds, they were letting in goals at a rapid rate. Gone was the defensive solidity of the previous season, when they conceded a mere 20 goals in 38 games. By Matchday 11 this year, they had already let in half that number.
The void left behind by legendary defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets wasn’t adequately filled, with Xavi settling on former La Masia midfielder Oriol Romeu from Girona. Despite adding versatile full-back Joao Cancelo and center-back Inigo Martinez to their ranks, Barcelona haven’t been able to replicate the magic of last season’s success and has seen them fall down into 4th place in the league and boasting the worst defensive record among the top 10 teams in the table with 29 goals conceded.
Injury woes further complicated the situation. Key players like Gavi, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Raphinha, and Inigo Martinez face prolonged spells on the sidelines, disrupting the team’s rhythm and forcing Xavi to depend on academy players. This reliance on youth, while showcasing Xavi’s trust in Barcelona’s famed La Masia, highlighted the squad’s depth issues.
Barcelona end January fourth in the league table 11 points off the top. They are bested to the top three positions by the usual culprits Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. However, at the very summit of the La Liga table sit their Catalan neighbors Girona — a surprise package this season. Having also let slip both the Spanish Super Cup and Copa Del Rey in a matter of 10 days (where they also conceded 4 goals in both matches), Xavi’s men now realistically only have the Champions League to fight for, where they will next face Serie A champions Napoli in the Round of 16. Barcelona have been a failure in Europe for nearly eight years now, and it will be on Xavi to change that and hopefully end his stint at Barca on a high note.
Youth Development
One of Xavi Hernandez’s most notable contributions was his dedication to youth development. A La Masia graduate himself, Xavi recognized the importance of Barcelona’s famed academy in shaping the club’s future. Xavi’s trust in the academy was evident in the opportunities he provided to players like Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Marc Guiu, and Hector Fort etc. These youngsters, often thrown into high-pressure situations, represented Xavi’s belief in the potential of La Masia graduates. Xavi and future coaches have to be mindful of managing these players’ game time, as Barcelona has a history of overplaying youth products and hampering their growth. Ansu Fati, Pedri and even Gavi now suffer from that fate. The reliance on youth also aligned with Xavi’s broader philosophy of nurturing homegrown talent, a hallmark of Barcelona’s identity and something that Xavi and a lot of Barca fans believed that the club had neglected in recent seasons. This aspect of Xavi’s management, though perhaps overshadowed by this season’s poor performance, is likely to have a lasting impact on Barcelona’s future.
See you again?
“The job we have done has not been sufficiently valued. We arrived in 2021 at one of the most difficult moments in the club’s history. I have the feeling that whatever I do, I won’t be valued.” — Xavi Hernandez, after announcing his resignation.
Xavi has (rightly) stated that the media pressure around Barcelona is one of the most toxic things about the sporting culture at the club. He has criticized the environment around the club saying that everyone forgets what he did over the last two years, and people only remember his shortcomings in the last six months.
“Whatever I do, there is criticism. Nothing I say is [taken on]. Not even winning LaLiga [10] points ahead of Real Madrid, not even winning the Supercopa [in 2023].
At a time when no one wanted to dip their hands into the mess that was Barcelona, with all it’s sporting and financial issues, Xavi decided to give up his stable job as manager of Al-Sadd to come help his boyhood club. His criticism of the media reflects the high-pressure environment surrounding Barcelona, where short-term setbacks often overshadow long-term gains. It hasn’t been an easy return to life at Barcelona with continuous controversies surrounding the club like the Negreira case, the Super League fiasco, Javier Tebas’ strict rules on running the league, and so much more. Yet, Xavi did what he could with what he was given. An inexperienced coach with an inexperienced backroom staff took Barcelona back to a somewhat respectable position and in conversation with the big clubs it used to flirt with. Yet, it wasn’t to be the ideal farewell he got back in 2015 when he left the club.
Pep Guardiola, despite winning everything at the club including a historic sextuple, only managed 4 years at the club before leaving. Luis Enrique, who delivered Barca’s second treble in 2015 also managed just 3 years. This is a recurring element with the coaches at Barcelona that for some people and the media, nothing is “enough”.
“It’s one thousand times higher and tougher over there than here, the pressure you feel in Barcelona is not comparable for another club.” — Pep Guardiola talking about Xavi’s departure.
Xavi hasn’t ruled out a future at the club. In his short, inexperienced managerial career he has already won nine trophies. He has also established himself as a person capable of finding hidden gems from a very young age and giving them deserved breakthroughs. Perhaps after Barcelona, a stint as an assistant under an established manager will do him some good. The key thing for Xavi now is to not jump to bigger positions, but work with smaller clubs who focus on youth development and establish himself as a niche coach with his own philosophy. What Xavi did during his spell at Barcelona would be appreciated in almost 97 out of 100 European clubs, and it would be wrong, and disrespectful, to classify him as a “failure”.
“I don’t rule out coming back one day, I am a club man, and I am here for the club when they need me.”
Until next time, Xavi.
