A new era of hope for the Blaugrana
After the dismissal of Ronald Koeman, another one of Barcelona's club legend is on the verge of taking the helm of one of world football's biggest clubs but how exactly will the team look under him?
It's just a matter of time before one of game's greatest ever midfielders is officially announced as the new manager of his beloved club. Now, should someone with a such little amount of managerial experience be getting involved in a mess as big as Barcelona are in is another question but let's look at the bigger picture here. Xavi has been in charge of Qatari champions Al Sadd since 2019, taking them from a surprisingly low 3rd placed finish in his first season to 3 domestic trophies in his second and also going a staggering 34 league games unbeaten. He has obviously adapted well to the pressure and guided his current team to a lot of success by making the necessary changes in his squad and tactics.
The Spaniard has replicated the philosophy that he used to follow while playing under various coaches at club and international level quite well. He likes his side to dominate possession throughout the game, play one-touch football and frequently switch the play. He instructs his players to press as high as they can out of possession with everyone defending for the side. A lot of his side's attacks start from the back and hence ball playing centre backs play a crucial role in his XI. His style requires his players to be quick and smart while occupying spaces to receive the ball and keep the attack flowing. The two midfielders in his pivot have to orchestrate attacks for their sides just like he as a player could. Xavi has rejected the stereotypical 4-3-3 to carry out his tiki taka and has instead switched between 3-4-3 or a 4-2-3-1 to unlock defences. In the 3-4-3 his wingers drop deep and the play progresses a lot more centrally with the false 9 having the other two attacking midfielders as runners off the ball. In the 4-2-3-1 he likes his wingers to maintain width and stretch the play.
At Barcelona he will have a brand new squad of players and he has already been reported to be interested in Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Sevilla's Joules Kounde. However those signings are still a long way away from being completed and with the current set of Barcelona players that he will have at his disposal, here is how he might line up to implement his style of play :
3-4-3
www
4-2-3-1
Hiring Xavi will certainly prove to be a huge risk taken by Joan Laporta and considering the amount of questionable decisions taken by his predecessors in recent years, they have no other option other than being patient with him and his project. He is still finding his feet in management but with the right amount of backing from the people above him as well as the fans, he has the ability to restore the team's lost glory.