Xavi (Spanish Lego Pep) | Manager watch

[Zehner]

It's obviously too early to be definitive but he already failed at making the important choices he had to make. His obsession with Busqets, the lack of game time he gave De Jong for almost a year, it doesn't look very good when you try to figure out how he sees the future of Barcelona. Some match were really good though so he has ideas, but i'm not sure his ideas are sustainable at the highest level.

Yeah but his results are remarkable considering the quality of the squad, even if they were a bit lucky (no idea if that is actually the case).

That team really has no right to be ahead of Madrid, the difference in quality (also in terms of width) is astonishing. Of all their starters, I'd say only Dembele would definitely make it into Madrid's starting eleven and with Pedri and Lewa it would be 50/50 since their counterparts are also worth class. Surely that has to count for something.

 

[Oly Francis]

Yeah but his results are remarkable considering the quality of the squad, even if they were a bit lucky (no idea if that is actually the case).

That team really has no right to be ahead of Madrid, the difference in quality (also in terms of width) is astonishing. Of all their starters, I'd say only Dembele would definitely make it into Madrid's starting eleven and with Pedri and Lewa it would be 50/50 since their counterparts are also worth class. Surely that has to count for something.

Barcelona's expected stats are comparable to Real's, but they conceded far less goals. 50% because of Ter Stegen (who is 8 goals or so above xG in his stops) and 50% luck because the oppenent missed.

As for Real Madrid, Modric is showing his age and can't perform very well more than 2/3 times a month and Kroos has huge laps in intensity while Camavinga and Tchouameni are also inconsistent. Ceballos was good but god knows why, Ancelotti decided not to put him on the pitch. The gap in quality isn't that huge between both teams even if Real is better on paper.

 

[Niemans]

Teams need time and players to build a solid team. A clear example is Arsenal this year, everyone laughed at Arteta and few expected even a top 4.

Xavi has a young team, with quality but young and that leads them to be irregular, they still have to learn a lot.
The evolution this year is evident and if you see this forum nobody gave a euro for
Barcelona to not even compete in the league.
The team has gaps for what Xavi wants: Except Dembélé the other wingers are not good in the 1vs1, lack of quality in the last pass and a good RB.

To all this is added the economic issue, you have to be quick to sign players who finish contract and hit the majority that are made.
Xavi has to be given time and we will have to see the evolution of the team with him.

 

[GinobiliTheGOAT]

So now he bunkered down after 0-1 I thought they couldn't play possession football without Pedri, wasn't Pedri injured before the 0-1? Why did they start the game thinking they could play possession football then?

You're changing your story as the conversaton goes, it's getting ridiculous.

The truth is, they wanted to play possession football, they couldn't do it because they were overrun so they defended all game long, end of the story. It wasn't a plan, it wasn't a strategy, it wasn't "well played", they were forced to do so because they couldn't do anything else.

Take off your incredible bias against Barca. Instead of forcing possession and getting massacred they bunkered down after being up 1-0. Not sure why you are crying so much about it, oh the horror of defending a 1-0 lead. They clearly DID want to defend the lead and played far more conservative. I give xavi credit for not thing to force a play style that was never going to work in this match. The hill you are trying to die on is a weird one. Barca played like Atletico when playing like Barca on this day was never going to work. The team is FAR worse without pedri so this was the right call by xavi after going up a goal. They found out very quickly possession wasn’t going to work so they tried something else and defended beautifully. Not sure why you are having such a hard time understanding this. We get it, you hate Barca and can’t see anything else. Xavi did well enough for the wi and deserves credit for willing to bunker down instead of trying for suicide tactics with a depleted squad. The midfield wasn’t working so he opted to be a lot more defensive AFTER going up a goal. That’s all there is to it. Have zero problem with how he manages the match.

You make fun of a “lazy Camavinga” but Madrid’s midfield were far superior to us. Xavi did very well to defend the way he instructed the team to do so after being down a goal. He adjusted DURING the match once they went up a goal. Watch the match instead of screaming to the heavens that he didn’t play beautiful football for 90 minutes.

 

[Oly Francis]

You make fun of a “lazy Camavinga” but Madrid’s midfield were far superior to us. Xavi did very well to defend the way he instructed the team to do so after being down a goal. He adjusted DURING the match once they went up a goal. Watch the match instead of screaming to the heavens that he didn’t play beautiful football for 90 minutes.

I don't particularly hate Barcelona but I'm very annoyed by the cult like behaviour of a lot of their fans. Good for you if you think it was Xavi's instructions to get pinned down in your box for pretty much an hour.

Also, you seem to hold Xavi in high regard, the shame Xavi that arrived in Madrid with the idea of playing possession football. Yet, you claim it was suicide to try to play possession football without Pedri. So is Xavi stupid to the point that he didn't know things you knew all along? Your midfield was made of De Jong, Busquets, Kessie with the help of Gavi, who's fault is it that the only option against a really average Real Madrid team is to play like Atletico Madrid?

Your non stop defense of Xavi despite him making obvious mistakes (like overusing Pedri until he gets injured) is ridiculous.

The evolution this year is evident and if you see this forum nobody gave a euro for Barcelona to not even compete in the league.

Most of the comments made about Barcelona not competing for la liga were made before the transfer window. Real Madrid not fixing several gaps in their team and Barcelona getting useful players obviously reshuffled the deck, especially when you see how bad the other teams are.

 

[GinobiliTheGOAT]

I don't particularly hate Barcelona but I'm very annoyed by the cult like behaviour of a lot of their fans. Good for you if you think it was Xavi's instructions to get pinned down in your box for pretty much an hour.

Also, you seem to hold Xavi in high regard, the shame Xavi that arrived in Madrid with the idea of playing possession football. Yet, you claim it was suicide to try to play possession football without Pedri. So is Xavi stupid to the point that he didn't know things you knew all along? Your midfield was made of De Jong, Busquets, Kessie with the help of Gavi, who's fault is it that the only option against a really average Real Madrid team is to play like Atletico Madrid?

Your non stop defense of Xavi despite him making obvious mistakes (like overusing Pedri until he gets injured) is ridiculous.



Most of the comments made about Barcelona not competing for la liga were made before the transfer window. Real Madrid not fixing several gaps in their team and Barcelona getting useful players obviously reshuffled the deck, especially when you see how bad the other teams are.

We weren't pinned down by choice, we sat back and absorbed pressure and parked the bus. And it worked. Was it ideal? No. Does Xavi have flaws? Plenty, including reacting way too slow to things during a match. But he got it absolutely right in this match. Everyone else who saw the match is telling you how wrong you, Barca PURPOSELY went more defensive after going up a goal but you are too blind to see it.

Our midfield was crap against an "average" Madrid side. If we continued to play like we did those first 25 minutes we absolutely would have lost. Unlike the United tie, Xavi did well here.

 

[Oly Francis]

We weren't pinned down by choice, we sat back and absorbed pressure and parked the bus. And it worked. Was it ideal? No. Does Xavi have flaws? Plenty, including reacting way too slow to things during a match. But he got it absolutely right in this match. Everyone else who saw the match is telling you how wrong you, Barca PURPOSELY went more defensive after going up a goal but you are too blind to see it.

Our midfield was crap against an "average" Madrid side. If we continued to play like we did those first 25 minutes we absolutely would have lost. Unlike the United tie, Xavi did well here.

Xavi 2 days ago :

"But the opponent is the defending champion of LaLiga and of the Champions League, and if they press you high, it's difficult. It's about understanding football: speaking of possession when they play man to man is absurd."

And he added: "We didn't put ourselves in the area to be in a low block, Real Madrid put us there. That's football."

[EDIT] : the conversation got too heated, no need to add anything else.

 

[PepG]

Wait..why the f you are taking Xavis words so serious.. he like all the other managers is spouting absolute drivel in his interviews so nothing new here.. it was actually really funny to see him embarrassed by his own game plan haha

 

[Shane88]

Had a meltdown over the ref tonight.

"The message I would send today to Javier Tebas is that his product is an embarrassment."

"It's normal if people get bored or don't want to watch football. What we saw today wasn't football, it was a complete shame. This product is a shame and people do not want to consume it."

Big baby.

 

[colombianmancunian]

Had a meltdown over the ref tonight.

"The message I would send today to Javier Tebas is that his product is an embarrassment."

"It's normal if people get bored or don't want to watch football. What we saw today wasn't football, it was a complete shame. This product is a shame and people do not want to consume it."

Big baby.

He is one of the biggest cry babies in the sport. Always blaming things such as grass length when things don’t go his way. Pathetic little man.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Had a meltdown over the ref tonight.

"The message I would send today to Javier Tebas is that his product is an embarrassment."

"It's normal if people get bored or don't want to watch football. What we saw today wasn't football, it was a complete shame. This product is a shame and people do not want to consume it."

Big baby.

What’s he whining about? His player didn’t have to throw a ridiculous elbow and get himself sent off. The incident at the end wasn’t a pen either.

 

[Real Name]

They didn't pay the refs this time.

 

[tenpoless]

Had a meltdown over the ref tonight.

"The message I would send today to Javier Tebas is that his product is an embarrassment."

"It's normal if people get bored or don't want to watch football. What we saw today wasn't football, it was a complete shame. This product is a shame and people do not want to consume it."

Big baby.

His club is a shame for being stingy to players and using their history to "pay" the players and people do not want to consume it.

 

[RoyH1]

They didn't pay the refs this time.

I'm not sure. It's more like they paid the head of the refs for 17 years and the federation is now a bit embarrassed byt the whole affair and has to prove a point by giving actual neutral refereeing.

And yes, Xavi is the biggest cry baby I've seen. Embarrassing some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

It's always funny hearing these two in Spain complaining about the referees. And no, dear Xavi, it's actually your club and your supposed fiercest rivals who have destroyed the product by denying any semblance of a fair revenue distribution just to face each other off in the trophy count.

 

[Real Name]

I'm not sure. It's more like they paid the head of the refs for 17 years and the federation is now a bit embarrassed byt the whole affair and has to prove a point by giving actual neutral refereeing.

And yes, Xavi is the biggest cry baby I've seen. Embarrassing some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth

He's been like that as a player too. Cringe monster.

 

[RoyH1]

He's been like that as a player too. Cringe monster.

Agree. It's just as a manager he gets a lot more microphone time.

His constant commenting on the length of the grass and pitch humidity are meme worthy.

 

[Red_toad]

Had a meltdown over the ref tonight.

"The message I would send today to Javier Tebas is that his product is an embarrassment."

"It's normal if people get bored or don't want to watch football. What we saw today wasn't football, it was a complete shame. This product is a shame and people do not want to consume it."

Big baby.

Maybe he could ask his players to not throw themselves on the floor every single time there’s any contact. Watched some of the game and it was awful, so much play acting from both sides. Unreal he’s blaming the ref for what he coaches his players to do and them carrying out those instructions on the pitch.

 

[Samid]

Spanish Lego Pep makes Lego Pep look like a normal sane human being.

 

[arthurka]

Suck it that's what neutral referees give you. The audacity after all that has been happening to bring that up. More than a club indeed.

 

[Ish]

Always been a moaner. Entitled/superiority complex etc.

 

[Tyrion]

It's always funny hearing these two in Spain complaining about the referees. And no, dear Xavi, it's actually your club and your supposed fiercest rivals who have destroyed the product by denying any semblance of a fair revenue distribution just to face each other off in the trophy count.

That's what makes me laugh when they (and to a lesser extent Bayern) complain about the Premier League's financial advantage. It has it because the revenue is more evenly distributed and is better entertainment. Their greed is hurting their own league and they want the rules changed (super league) to save them from the consequences because they think they're entitled to win.

The meltdowns when Neymar left Barca and when Mbappe refused to go to Real were other good examples. They thought they were entitled to the best players and freaked out when they were refused.

 

[Hoof the ball]

It's always funny hearing these two in Spain complaining about the referees. And no, dear Xavi, it's actually your club and your supposed fiercest rivals who have destroyed the product by denying any semblance of a fair revenue distribution just to face each other off in the trophy count.

Just going to say this....

What would La Liga have looked like if Real and Barca never had 17 years of uninterrupted TV revenue sharing dominance?

Would Atletico, Betis, Deportivo and Valencia have had a few more trophies along the way? Would these teams have had the money to build a true "Big Six" of their own? And would La Liga be much more healthy as a brand than it is now?

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Just going to say this....

What would La Liga have looked like if Real and Barca never had 17 years of uninterrupted TV revenue sharing dominance?

Would Atletico, Betis, Deportivo and Valencia have had a few more trophies along the way? Would these teams have had the money to build a true "Big Six" of their own? And would La Liga be much more healthy as a brand than it is now?

The quality of La Liga from the mid 90s up to the mid 00s was insane. In 11 years, from 93/94 until 2003-04, only three times Barcelona and Real Madrid finished in the top two. The title was being decided between 75-85 points. It was extremely difficult to win the title. Valencia and La Coruna won titles and did well in Europe. Teams like Atletico and Real Sociedad would spice up the title race. Even in the decade before that, during which the two big clubs monopolized the league, it was nothing like this. Pre-Bosman era and before the TV money changed the sport forever, when you actually had to live with your bad decisions instead of buying every player under the sun. The Madrid side that won 5 in a row was probably the most fun football team of the modern era. They won two UEFA Cups by making a habit of coming back from three or four goal deficits. Barcelona won 4 on the trot by embracing Cruyff's philosophy. Again, only half of the time they both finished in the top two. What do they have now? Simeone trying to go against the grain?

 

[horsechoker]

Pep's replacement?

 

[Samid]

Pep's replacement?

Shouldn't Pep's replacement be Lego Pep and not the Spanish Lego Pep?

 

[GinobiliTheGOAT]

I'm not sure. It's more like they paid the head of the refs for 17 years and the federation is now a bit embarrassed byt the whole affair and has to prove a point by giving actual neutral refereeing.

And yes, Xavi is the biggest cry baby I've seen. Embarrassing some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth

Klopp is 100 times worse when it comes to being a whiny baby

 

[Scottynaldinho]

To resident Barca fans. Are you still keen on him? I haven't seen Barca much this season, is the league position reflective of what has happened on the pitch?

 

[giorno]

To resident Barca fans. Are you still keen on him? I haven't seen Barca much this season, is the league position reflective of what has happened on the pitch?

Not a barca fan, which makes me more objective actually(also better because i'm not some delusional crazy person unfit for society)

Yes and no. Yes - because there are very real problems with their team and play. No - because it's largely down to the squad's shortcomings rather than Xavi. Their performances have generally been good - if you check advanced stats they're like the 3rd or 4th best performing team in the top 5 leagues - but the players shortcomings appear to be very real and not just an unlucky stretch, which means this really is their real level. It's not even like Xavi can change things up, doing so with this squad would likely require a change in playing style that would see him sacked, because barcelona are a deeply unserious and ridiculous club

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Barca has personnel issues not a coach issue. They need to invest in quality youth alongside the ones they are bringing through. Victor Roque is a good start hopefully for their sake

 

[RoyH1]

To resident Barca fans. Are you still keen on him? I haven't seen Barca much this season, is the league position reflective of what has happened on the pitch?

Whatever his strengths, he's still too much of a whining brat. He has to stop blaming the pitch, the sun, the cold, the rain, the calendar, and whatever else might happen that day for his teams performance. Doesn't seem like a man who's going to inspire his men to great things with his public attitude.

 

[uwotm8]

Not a barca fan, which makes me more objective actually(also better because i'm not some delusional crazy person unfit for society)

Yes and no. Yes - because there are very real problems with their team and play. No - because it's largely down to the squad's shortcomings rather than Xavi. Their performances have generally been good - if you check advanced stats they're like the 3rd or 4th best performing team in the top 5 leagues - but the players shortcomings appear to be very real and not just an unlucky stretch, which means this really is their real level. It's not even like Xavi can change things up, doing so with this squad would likely require a change in playing style that would see him sacked, because barcelona are a deeply unserious and ridiculous club

Love the objective opinion.

But seriously, is that what they are like? Do they demand possession and high lines at all times?

 

[NLunited]

Barça squad is very good: I can’t believe what I am reading on here.

Midfield: De Jong, Pedri, Gavi do I need to say more?

They aren’t struggling because of the squad, that is clear. Can they use a few upgrades? Of course, every team needs to be refreshed continuously.

 

[Acrobat7]

Barça squad is very good: I can’t believe what I am reading on here.

Midfield: De Jong, Pedri, Gavi do I need to say more?

They aren’t struggling because of the squad, that is clear. Can they use a few upgrades? Of course, every team needs to be refreshed continuously.

Pedri has played 8 league games, Gavi has a torn ACL and de Jong has played 10 league games.

 

[Skills]

Not a barca fan, which makes me more objective actually(also better because i'm not some delusional crazy person unfit for society)

Yes and no. Yes - because there are very real problems with their team and play. No - because it's largely down to the squad's shortcomings rather than Xavi. Their performances have generally been good - if you check advanced stats they're like the 3rd or 4th best performing team in the top 5 leagues - but the players shortcomings appear to be very real and not just an unlucky stretch, which means this really is their real level. It's not even like Xavi can change things up, doing so with this squad would likely require a change in playing style that would see him sacked, because barcelona are a deeply unserious and ridiculous club

So what are the problems with the squad?

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

Barça squad is very good: I can’t believe what I am reading on here.

Midfield: De Jong, Pedri, Gavi do I need to say more?

They aren’t struggling because of the squad, that is clear. Can they use a few upgrades? Of course, every team needs to be refreshed continuously.

The main issue with their squad is the attack. Lewandowski, Torres, Raphinha, Joao Felix. Lewandowski is the only world-class, "productive" player in that attacking lineup, and he's getting old.

I'm guessing that's what giorno meant about the stats: Barcelona have the highest xG in La Liga right now (40.7), but they are the lowest-scoring team in the top 4.

 

[DWelbz19]

Barça squad is very good: I can’t believe what I am reading on here.

Midfield: De Jong, Pedri, Gavi do I need to say more?

They aren’t struggling because of the squad, that is clear. Can they use a few upgrades? Of course, every team needs to be refreshed continuously.

The midfield is very good — only when they’re all fully fit. Attack is blunt, and the defence is decent.

 

[WeePat]

The main issue with their squad is the attack. Lewandowski, Torres, Raphinha, Joao Felix. Lewandowski is the only world-class, "productive" player in that attacking lineup, and he's getting old.

I'm guessing that's what giorno meant about the stats: Barcelona have the highest xG in La Liga right now (40.7), but they are the lowest-scoring team in the top 4.

This sounds awfully similar to the problems Chelsea have, except we don’t have Lewandowski, who even in his old age is more prolific than any striker we’ve had the last 5 years.

 

[Acrobat7]

This sounds awfully similar to the problems Chelsea have, except we don’t have Lewandowski, who even in his old age is more prolific than any striker we’ve had the last 5 years.

Lewandowski is underperforming in regards to expected goals (I know, I know...) to quite a big extend: xG 12, goals 8.
Btw, the whole Barca team is doing this: xG 44, goals 32.

Real: xG 38, goals 39 (Bellingham: xG 8, goals 13 )
Atleti: xG 36, goals 36
Girona: xG 36, goals 42

 

[Tyrion]

The midfield is very good — only when they’re all fully fit. Attack is blunt, and the defence is decent.

It isn't a good sign that after all that "restructuring" and "financial levers", their best players are an academy player, another really young midfielder and one that was already there. I still think that restructuring was pointless and will cost them long term.