Alex Kirkland joins ESPN FC to discuss Xavi Hernandez's future with Barcelona. ✔ Subscribe to ESPN+: espnplus.com/soccer/youtube ✔ Subscribe to ESPN FC on RU-vid: bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoESPNFC
Laporta was practically on his knees begging Xavi to stay. Now he wants him out for saying the truth. Seems like something fishy has been going on within the board.
@@pendu.papaperez So why hasn't La Porta denied it anytime in this two days? He recently came out making a statement complaining about a referee's decision. But apparently solving the biggest crisis of confidence since he became president is not worth his time.
@@pendu.papaperez Press likes the drama, but when all the catalan press dropped the news, is obvious that is not rumors. Barca leaks all the time, is like a soup opera drama cooking there all the time.
I look at this circus a bit differently. Xavi went through a patch of bad performances that led to him giving up on the project and announcing his decision to resign at the end of the season. The board continued to believe in him during this period and publicly backed him several times. Eventually, results improved and seemed to have turned a corner. During the dinner at Laporta's house, Xavi assured the board that he believed he could make the team competitive with the resources available to him. The board went a step further to suggest some changes in his backroom staff to mitigate some of the inexperience and issues in the coaching department. Xavi declined these proposals, and the board backed him again because he assured them that the resources available were sufficient. A few weeks later, Xavi tells the world he does not have the resources to be competitive with Barcelona. The opposite of what he made the board believe. This after some bad PR of Xavi's handling of players, exposing the inexperience the board had tried to resolve with improvements in backroom staff. The board had backed Xavi throughout, and they genuinely believe he has gone back on his pledge/assurance.
Aah that calmness Xavi loves to stress about, here we go again 😂😂😂 I'm now just waiting for Xavi to announce his departure and trust me it will happen...
Laporta spent over 50m a piece, on Torres, Raphinha, Kounde and nearly 50m on Lewandowski. Along with 30m on Roque. Not counting the other signings going all the way back to the January transfer window when Xavi started. Girona nearly finished ahead of them with far less talent to work with and Leverkusen just became the first Invincibles in German history, mainly with castoffs from other clubs. Heck, Madrid has more talent, but ran away with the division despite not even having a striker. And let's not forget that Koeman was sacked WITHOUT the signings I mentioned, while the club was too broke to move on from the sacred cows.
I agree with what you’re saying but Koeman had Messi carrying his Barcelona team. Mess was basically making Barcelona look better. As soon as Messi left Koemans team looked horrible. Don’t get me wrong, I think another coach can do better than Xavi but you’re just misleading with your statement when Koeman had messi which is a big difference compared to the players you mentioned. I remember messi rescuing Barcelona by clutching a win or tie with a solid goal or assist.
@@BigSuzpekt When Messi left, Koeman was given NO money to bring in reinforcements. He'd already picked both Pedri and Gavi over Puig, despite fan backlash. He was developing them, Araujo and had just started developing Balde. His eye for young talent was clear. He didn't have a striker, both of his main wingers (Fati and Dembele) were struggling with injury. The only true CB he had was Araujo. Had Xavi been asked to make it work with that exact same squad, we wouldn't have come close to winning the league last season. The minute Xavi arrived, we gave him Torres, Auba, Traore, and Dembele got healthy again. Then, he was given Lewandowski, Kounde, Christensen and Raphinha. The club was so broke when Koeman came that he paid his own clause to leave the Dutch National Team. Deferred his salary before everyone. Was given no money. Was publicly humiliated by Laporta. It was so bad that Messi later said, in an interview, that Koeman was blamed for a lot of things that weren't his fault.
@@MRMANSI10 Where do you think Xavi would have had us without the players Laporta brought in for Xavi? Laporta didn’t say: ‘Hey, we think Koeman should be getting more out of this squad, so take this same squad to glory’. They brought in nearly a dozen players in just the first two transfer windows
@@segagenesis7708 I’m sorry but Koeman had Messi griezmann dembele and had us in third..quality players..and by stats Xavi in the league has the 3rd best record behind Luis Enrique and Pep. I doubt koeman would have us there. But at this point I agree Xavi should leave
I think the president never wanted Xavi to stay, I think publicly he was supporting him for the players and fans and just keep things calm but he never expected Xavi to make a u-turn remember this president cares about the image and reputation of club more than the football
Xavi feels that his influence on player selection in the transfer market is virtually non-existent. His primary requirements are a proper winger and a central defensive midfielder. However, the club provided him with Félix and Romeu, while spending significant funds on Roque, who doesn't address the current team needs. Xavi's tactics started to click when Gavi was available, allowing for proper rotational strategies. Nonetheless, the absence of versatile midfield profiles has prevented his tactical plans from fully materializing, causing the team to suffer. Xavi’s approach is not flawed; rather, the issue lies in the composition of the players. They are either exceptionally talented or third-rate, one-dimensional players who struggle to adapt without compromising tactical control. This inconsistency is why Xavi experimented with multiple tactics throughout the season to accommodate different player combinations, prompted by rotations and injuries. The less adept players often got confused by these frequent tactical adjustments, leading to lapses in concentration and increased opportunities for the opposition. Xavi is a tactical mastermind, but the bench strength is failing him. Any other manager would likely face similar challenges over a long season without adequate backups. Barcelona needs a reset in their mentality, shifting from their super-team standards to a more realistic approach aligned with their current capabilities. President Joan Laporta appears more concerned with his public image ahead of the upcoming elections than addressing the on-field problems. Although he brings in money and works hard, he seems disconnected from the actual issues affecting the team. This situation highlights a miscommunication between the director, manager, and players. Barcelona must place their trust in Xavi, who is fully committed to the project. He should be given complete control over the team and the academy for at least three more years, similar to the support Jürgen Klopp received at Liverpool. With Xavi’s guidance, academy players will develop into proper bench options with suitable profiles through adequate game time. Only with this long-term strategy can the team hope to achieve success over a prolonged season. Xavi’s game awareness and tactics are top-notch, recognized by analysts, professionals, and players, even if they are not immediately apparent to the average fan. Esteemed pundits like Pep Guardiola and Thierry Henry acknowledge his tactical acumen. The failure to execute these tactics is not due to Xavi but because the players have been unable to replicate them. Therefore, Xavi’s reliance on academy youth players for these critical positions is a deliberate strategy to develop them into the right profiles over the years. By providing them with proper game time, Barcelona can build a cohesive and effective team capable of sustained success.
Xavi exposed Lairporta 🤡 that is why he is getting sacked. To be honest Xavi is not the coach who can take Barca to Top or at least not at this time with his lack of experience and No money to buy good players
@@Chris-oz9qx that season was odd ball because Barca defenders were awesome, Goalkeeper 👌🏼 and Real Madrid had poor season. Next season Real Madrid will be even stronger than this season you think Barca has what it takes to win the league next season- Not at all. Barca will have an another season without major trophies… winning Copa should not be Barca goal. Barca goal should be Champions League. As they say shoot for moon you will land on Stars. Barca and Xavi currently don’t have what it takes to be champions sorry to say and make me sad saying this but that is true
Xavi doesn’t talk to Felix, Roque and recently he’s not in good terms with Lewandowski, Araujo, De Jong and Raphinha but for some bias reasons he pampers some players and believes that Roberto is the second coming of Busquet, Ferran Torres is some David Villa, and he need more Spanish mediocre inconsistent players to add to the rubbish he already have. He should have been sacked even before he announced in the middle of the season that he will step down at the end of the season
I don’t think his handling on players is as bad as the media is making it out to be. Roque’s agent is crying because an 18 year old is not starting over one of the best strikers of his generation at the biggest club in the world. And he’s in his first 4 months at the club. Xavi didn’t want Felix. He got him anyway. Can’t really blame him for not playing him because Felix is very inconsistent. About raphina a report came out saying that he insulted Xavis brother when he was substituted. Yesterday in training, raphina was playing around with Xavis brother. There’s no market for Ferran. Also he contributes more than Felix in less minutes. He’s a good squad player. And with Araujo, I love him. But if he’s sold and we can sign a world class pivot and/or LW, then it’s okay to let him go because we might not have a defender as good as him but we have a lot of players who can cover that position well. And Eric Garcia, he’s a player who didn’t reach expectations when he joined us. He went on loan and did great! Now should Xavi had said we are trying to sell him? Who will buy him when the coach is saying they want to get rid of him and everyone knows barca needs money. If we sell him we would be lucky to get 20 mil. So I think that’s a tactic to say we want him and then eventually lettting him go like last summer. And what if he is not sold. Then what? You lose the trust of the player.
Laporta has to face the reality bro,you can't hate the manager because he is telling the truth. You gotta sit down together and try to find the solution.
It's funny how the media can brainwash people. I mean STOP all the negativity over this club. Let them go through the bad times they have, and believe me. They will find a way. This situation can happen to any club.
When Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo was finishing back to back seasons 17 and then 19 points behind Barcelona nobody talked about it, but now that the opposite will happen everybody talks about it. Double standards.....
He probably should leave to avoid the same disrespect next season. Mbappe is coming and there is no way they don’t take 6 points off barca and win the title.. they only lost 1 game this season they might not lose any game next year
Xavi may not be an elite level coach like Pep or Klopp but he gave his best with the players that he already had. Winning laliga, supercopa espania. This season wasn't that good because they missed a player profile like Busquets. Xavi was right when he wanted to leave by season end as he knew many things are wrong with management and Laporta is surely a scum we all must realise now. He only cares about his reputation and not the club. First he kicked out Messi instead of removing deadwoods then now he is on the verge of sacking Xavi just because he spoke the truth. Barca are really in shambles as long as Laporta is the President
Funny how Discussions of Barca's demise come out with ESPN FC but Barca will win a game and it takes 3 plus days to see a half assed review of the game 🤔
Football is a game of now and nothing else I guess. The immediate past should have no bearing on what happens now and in the immediate future I guess. People easily forget because of the now factor. When Xavi took over as Barca coach, Barca placed 9th on the league table in November of 2021. Barca was more than 20 points behind real Madrid but at the end the season Barca finished 2nd and in the following season beat real Madrid in the super cup and in the league to finish with 2 trophies. People easily forget that Barca was not competitive at all before Xavi took over. In fact, Barca lost most games against semi decent team in the league but as soon as he took over Barca was beating same teams they couldn't beat before with 4 goals and 3 goals margins. Barca fans must appreciate Xavi and what he has done for the club. Last season Ancelotti and real Madrid were pathetic and because they are winning today everyone forgets what happened last year.
@@fatih8053 What I know is that barsa fans live in narnia and thus require people like me to explain reality for them. The entire life of a barsa fan is pure cope.
there has never been a bigger gap between RM and barca since last two decades or so and it is not xavis fault, it is the collection of all wrong decisions made by barca and right decisions made by RM in recent years
When you see white call it white what he said is very true we can't and never compete if we can't buy better players why ate the board forcing us to believe some thing which is not possible same the president talk abt keeping messi signing Haaland so many things he said and did not happen and now he still want to bit around the bush is simple we can't compete we fans just have to be ready for another sorrowful year
Barça has never had proper executives running the club. We rode the wave of La Masia and Messi for years. Finally all the leaks are coming to light. Starting with the extremely weak mentality to not accept the truth
The issue is that, you all try to compare Barcelona with Real Madrid just because of a 15years fame that produced Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar & Suarez. It'll never happen again. Real Madrid is the "Haven" & will last forever.
And the pathetic thing is, the whole Barca world blames RM for their downfall, be it the refs, var, papa perez and the list goes on. They deny the reality check.
Just fire him already. The man is scared, making excuses, this his second managerial career, so afraid to get sacked by the club that made him legend. Failed his only obsession which is to dominate Real Madrid on every competitions they're in. Blaming the fans, players and the board so he quit. Now he decided to stay bu acted out about the board not supporting him oh wow. He should go back coaching those qatar club for all i care.
I know this will burn messi fans but messi is the reason barca is in such a bad state financially. He was getting such a huge chunk of barcas revenue for his salary that it crippled the club and are now in a dire situation. I dont see barca fighting for the ucl in the next few years to be honest, they have to rebuild from la masia and stop buying players past their prime (lewandowski gundogan) or rejects from other clubs (cancelo felix).. 🤷🏽♂️
@@Chip_Fuse barca has not won since neymar left. From 2016 until 2021 (5 YRS) messi and his barca team has been humiliated again and again and again. Roma Liverpool Bayern Frankfurt Juve PSG. Don’t come here saying barca was unstoppable with messi during that period. He was nowhere to be found in the champions league, no leadership no nothing just humiliation after humiliation. Madrid is bigger than any player, thats why Perez didn’t think twice in kicking ronaldo out (and got 100M for his transfer) when he asked for a similar salary messi was getting which was preposterous!
Barcelona has too many clown fans . When you get successful unfortunately they jump on. Koeman said the same thing when he had a worse team than xavi and all the fans wanted him gone. Xavi said the same , so what should be the case then ????
Xavi, is destroying his image, legacy also future employability with these flip flop, he shpuld leave spain, go back to serie or ajax, rebuild his cv and return back in couple of year with big club
I really want him out of Spain. He ruins Laliga with his trash talks and never ending complaints. No sportivity whatsoever. Bring a new coach with positive attitude. Even cholo is more symphatetic.
Barcelonista ESPN is another caverna. Talk about how 🐀 madridi is the biggest state club in the world, how florentino got control of the press and referee's just look how many times they robberies they did especially the almeria game
Basically Laporta is giving Xavi a dollar and asking for a trip to Bora Bora. You can’t afford it. Barca cheap roster can’t compete with Madrid. You can’t come back and blame Xavi
The interesting thing about all of this is that as much of a train wreck that people like to say Barca is, most notably the obnoxious and arrogant RM fans, Barca will finish 2nd in La Liga, and almost and should have beat RM in their meetings! 🤣🤣 The club that has all the superstars and the bottomless pockets of money, and all that only got them the title in the final weeks and could barely beat many of the other clubs in La Liga! All these rumors amount to nothing other than keeping these commentators employed and RM fans feeling better about themselves.
You are a pure image of cule. Delusional, in denial of the facts and always throw everything at Real Madrid. No wonder your club is at the abysmal of things.
Barca fans' hateful obsession with Real Madrid's successes and progress is making them hate Xavi in spite of the progress he's making despite their financial limitations.
