Opinionated Post: How Xavi Hernandez is revolutionizing Barcelona and many more regarding the players
This article is an opinion based post from BraggsSports per our findings of the newly appointed coach of Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez.
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I am sitting here and thinking about the fact I can’t wait for the next Barcelona game to happen, I am already buzzing. This was something I could not imagine for a while.
I hope that now, finally, people will start appreciating the project that’s slowly manifesting itself at Barcelona. The system Xavi has implemented is mirroring the best-structured teams in Europe. With proper support from the board and commitment, Barcelona fans are allowed to dream again.
It is quite fascinating to watch the progress. What started with nervy one not wins and snippets of what is to come is now slowly but surely becoming exceptional across the board. Barca far from where they want to be but this feels and looks like proper progress. About damn time too.
I remember hearing some say that Xavi was a Cruyff purist, having seen the game against Napoli and Valencia, I felt as though there was a bit of straying. Especially when compared to his first 2 months at Barca.
I could be wrong but there is a truth to that. Yes, Xavi’s Barça are not the prototype Barcelona. Whether they will ever be remains to be seen but nothing wrong with evolving either. It’s a fantasy, a beautiful one but ultimately, a fantasy in the modern age of football.
First time Barcelona have scored four goals in three consecutive games since May 2017, almost five years ago, and 11 of those 12 were scored by Messi (4), Neymar (4) and Suarez (3)
Barca is very much on the up. Improvement in the table is one thing but easy to forget how dearly the performances and how pessimistic the outlook got before Xavi arrived. Biggest transformation is how good this team is to watch now, which for ages everyone was told it was impossible.
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Dembele Contract Talks?
Listen, FC Barcelona might not thank me but get the contract out, put it on the table. Let him sign it, let him write whatever numbers he wants to put on there, given what he’s done since he’s come in. Xavi’s at the wheel. He’s doing it. He’s doing his thing. Barça are back
Pedri
Rewatched the game against Athletico Bilbao. The key takeaway; I have run out of superlatives for Pedri. All I can say is, it’s not that he can become one of the best midfielders in the world, it’s that he already *is* one of the best midfielders in the world… *AT 19*
Full disclosure ~ I tried analysing the game. However, that damn kid left me so mesmerized, my eyes were exclusively fixated on him.
Funny thing is, had Barca not been financially ruined consequently, not needing to count on what they had got, Pedri in all likelihood wouldn’t have been where he is today, not at Barça at least. It never ceases to amaze me, how important timing is.
And that includes players who went to certain teams at the right/wrong time. I often think of Koke in that regard. Fundamentally different perception of him as a player now versus if he’d said yes to Enrique or Tito. Luck and just timing. I mean, what can Fati do about getting injured? Nothing. At the other end, Vinicius would still be a bench player, probably on loan, if prime Ronaldo was still at Madrid. Timing is so key.
People are seeming to conveniently forget that Barca had next to no other options. All the others were flops or weren’t trusted, it was the perfect environment for Pedri- a transition where there wasn’t an awful lot of expectations and pressure. A literal free shot, and he took it with both arms
It’s similar to when Iniesta first emerged way back, isn’t it? Barca were in a hole – the others seemingly weren’t up to standard and he shone because he was allowed to. Had this been a super squad, or even a top squad, he wouldn’t have had those luxuries. Compared with Thiago at Barcelona, for example, who was limited by the guys in front of him rather than his own quality.
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Ferran Torres
Ferran Torres’ movement always add positional advantage, incite for progression or create new space: His game without the ball is exceptional and is precisely why he was brought to Barca. He makes everything simpler for his teammates with the ball.
Sadly, people never pay attention to what the players do without the ball at their feet and they never get the credit for it. Suarez used to do the same but got unjustified hate in 2017 to 20218 and 2018/2019, from me included. I am not entering that ship again.
To everyone slandering Ferran Torres, I suggest you hop on the hype train before it leaves the station. That boy will explode soon and once he does, goals will be pouring in. So far, he’s done everything almost perfectly. Just missing the final touch.
If your movement and space occupation are that good, and his are very good, the rest will follow shortly. When a forward is good at recognising when and how to move, he will inevitably get into good positions to score, which is the case with Ferran. The finishing WILL be there.
Sergino Dest
Dest performing isn’t a surprise given he’s now finally being used properly. He isn’t a full-back who constantly hugs the touchline & just bombards the box with crosses. His technical quality excels in combination situations in tight spaces and when he can drive with the ball.
That means giving him the freedom to exploit multiple angles in a more central position & the option to move both from out-in and in-out. Yes, his one versus one and crossing is useful out wide but there’s so much more to his profile than that. We are now seeing shades of Ajax Dest again.
Memphis Depay
I’m very interested to see Memphis’ role plus development under Xavi, in this newly founded system. The talent and ability is unquestionable, it’s merely about the adaptation. We have already seen what he is capable of. Though, with actual runners beside him, he could truly flourish.
For starters, I had give him a fair bit of game time until the end of the season, at least. If the plan is to sell him (which it probably is), it will be wise to try and boost that market value. But yeah, generally speaking, I agree – great for depth or an inevitable profit.
The more I watch this iteration of FC Barcelona, the more impressed I am with the transfer business they conducted, over the winter. Xavi has a clear blueprint – it was about singing players that brought his conceptualization into validity.
With the innate technicality of Barça’s midfielders, creating space, within an adequate structure, was never going to be an issue. What was missing though were the runners. Now that we have those, the results have started speaking for themselves.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Troare transfer to Barcelona
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Adama may not be long-term aids. However, they don’t have to be. Given where this side was, merely a few months back, a revitalization was necessary – importantly, in accordance with Xavi’s long-term conception. The players revolve around the system.
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