Is it time for Barcelona to replace Xavi Hernandez?

Xavi Hernandez won many hearts and some huge comparisons when he led Barcelona to win La Liga last season.

The former midfielder became the latest managerial hero groomed by the club as he followed the likes of Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola to win the league for the Camp Nou giants.

Barca remains one of the biggest clubs in the world, and he won that league at a time when they had so many off-field problems.

Under Ronald Koeman, Barca had regressed, and the team was crying for a manager to revive its fortune.

Most people may not agree, but making Xavi the team’s manager was a huge risk because he did not have any experience in management in Europe.

He had done some work in Qatar, whose league is hardly competitive among Asian competitions, yet Barca considered him ready for the team.

In the midst of their financial woes, his presence helped them lure the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde, among others, to the club.

Barca did not have to spend money to attract the top players at other clubs, so Xavi has the luxury of working with some of the best players in the world.

Supporters bought tickets on Seatsnet and enjoyed his first season as their manager so much, and were looking forward to an even better campaign in 2023/2024.

However, Barca has been dismal, and after 19 league games, they are fourth on the La Liga standings, with 41 points, eight points off the top of the standings.

The Catalans are simply performing below expectations, and now it seems time may be up for Xavi at the helm.

The former midfielder is a firm fan favourite, and his achievements last season will buy him some time, but it is only a matter of time before the club sacks him because it makes no sense to keep him if the team finishes outside the top four.

Loyalty can only last for so long

Xavi has the loyalty of the club’s board and its fans, which is understandable because he is a club legend as a player and won the league in the last campaign.

Barcelona has been one of the biggest clubs in the world for a very long time, so they have to play and get results all the time.

This is a price to pay for being historically one of the best teams in world football. Should the club be blinded by its loyalty to Xavi?

There is still so much football to play, but Barca’s title defence is in shambles, and they are not one of the favourites to win the Copa del Rey.

This means they could realistic be out of all the competitions by the start of March, which could be a disaster.

He deserves more time on the job, but if he cannot turn things around soon, we expect Xavi to be kicked out of Barcelona in the coming months before things get out of hand.

Xavi has not improved the Barcelona players

Although they were in a financial mess when Xavi returned to Barcelona, their signings since he got back do not look like he has not gotten the support he needs.

Barca has signed world-class players like Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo, Inigo Martinez, Ilkay Gundogan, and Raphinha since he became their manager.

These are players who were in devastating form at their previous clubs and were expected to make Barca unstoppable.

As we discussed before, some of them won the league last season, but these players have not improved much.

Xavi is a product of the famed La Masia system and was brought back to the club to make the team stronger, which involves developing players more.

But it is hard to point out a player that has gotten better since he started working with the ex-midfielder at Camp Nou.

The likes of Kounde, Gundogan, Cancelo and Martinez seem to have gotten worse while playing at Camp Nou under Xavi.

Gundogan was the hero for Manchester City on so many occasions and won the treble with the Premier League club last season.

However, he has struggled to show good form since he move to Barcelona and seems unsuited to Xavi’s system.

Cancelo also won the league at City and Bayern last term, and has underperformed at Camp Nou.

When a player is bad you can say the individual is not good enough, but when too many players are declining, then the manager has to answer some questions.

Xavi has failed to make most of his signings better than they were before they moved to the club and must take responsibility for that.

Is there a better coach on the market?

One of the biggest questions Barcelona would be asking now as they consider the future of Xavi is: Is there a better coach on the market?

The best managers are mostly attached to one club or another, especially a coach with a good footballing reputation and philosophy.

Barca is not just any club, and they cannot just name anyone as their manager. They tried it with the likes of Ronald Koeman before giving the job to Xavi, so it will be tough for them to replace Xavi.

But if results keep going bad, a change will be made, and some of the managers who can replace him include:

Julian Nagelsmann

Nagelsmann was surprisingly sacked by Bayern Munich last season when his team hit a tough period, but his sacking is hardly because he could not turn things around.

The German remains one of the best young managers in the world, and his Bayern team was brilliant in the way they played.

He has a positive attacking philosophy that Barca fans will love and could do a better job than Xavi in Camp Nou.

Zinedine Zidane

Zidane would be a controversial appointment because of his past affiliation with Real Madrid, but the Frenchman is one of the most successful coaches Barca can appoint.

He has only managed Real Madrid in his career, but winning the Champions League three times and winning La Liga twice is no mean feat.

It makes him too qualified to be ignored if Barca is serious about becoming the top club in Spain again.

Hansi Flick

Flick had a terrible spell as the manager of Germany, which is his most recent role, but he was very successful as the manager of Bayern Munich.

The German won two Bundesliga crowns and the 2019/2020 Champions League, famously defeating Barcelona 8-2 en route to winning that competition.

Flick has a glittering managerial CV in club football and worked with Lewandowski at Bayern, so he could make the Polish striker even more devastating.

Antonio Conte

Conte is a fiery character who may not get a chance at Barca, but his managerial CV is not bad at all.

The Italian has managed some top clubs around the continent and did well, except his spell at Tottenham.

He has won the league in Italy and England, and knows how to manage a team that will dominate a championship, so Barca should consider making him their next gaffer.