• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
  • Home
  • BarcaBuzz TV
    • BB Radio
  • Barça News
    • Transfer Rumors
  • Barça History
    • The Cruyff Story
    • Lionel Messi quotes
    • Xavi Quotes
    • Iniesta Quotes
  • La Masia
  • Merchandise
  • Community
    • Barça Travel
    • Barca songs
    • Gallery
    • Barcelona Calendar
    • Trivia
  • Analysis
No Result
View All Result
Barça Buzz
Advertisement
  • Home
  • BarcaBuzz TV
    • BB Radio
  • Barça News
    • Transfer Rumors
  • Barça History
    • The Cruyff Story
    • Lionel Messi quotes
    • Xavi Quotes
    • Iniesta Quotes
  • La Masia
  • Merchandise
  • Community
    • Barça Travel
    • Barca songs
    • Gallery
    • Barcelona Calendar
    • Trivia
  • Analysis
No Result
View All Result
Barça Buzz
No Result
View All Result
Home Barça News

Coach Xavi: What we can conclude so far?

ElJdP by ElJdP
30th January 2022
in Barça News
0
0
Prematch Report: Barça vs Elche
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatApp

Hired in November 2021 following Koeman’s dismissal, the emblematic return of Xavi as a coach has kept fans busy surrounding club matters. Coming from Al-Sadd, fans had feared his adaptation in Barcelona’s toxic environment fueled by media controversy and dodgy politics. Barcelona’s performances under the Catalan haven’t always impressed nor disappointed: Inconsistency still defines a team full of inconsistent profiles. Xavi has however stay true to the nature he’s famed for, as he hasn’t shied away from controversy in pressers. Between the sacred cows, Ousmane Dembélé and whatever has kept the club buzzing, Xavi doesn’t seem to have faltered just yet.

When Xavi arrived, the team’s morale was down; the defeat against Rayo Vallecano did not help: A team without structure nor head and tail was heading towards misery, missing out on top European places.

The dressing room needed a change. There wasn’t the atmosphere we needed. Some weren’t happy & when you’re not well and things are wrong, you need a change of air. I’m sure it’s going to be great for us w/ Xavi, he’s come in well”

-Oscar Mingueza, November 18th

Xavi’s mission was that of bringing fresh air and optimism under a shattered and heart-broken Camp Nou. Pedri and Ansu Fati’s injuries did not help: Barcelona rarely found its preferred roster.

Image

Back to the roots

Barcelona’s base structure under Xavi is a new but familiar hybrid between Guardiola and Enrique’s core principles. Whenever possible, the team has behaved in a single pivot accompanied by two interiors, extended by two wide wingers and a focal point in the center. A big difference in comparison to Koeman’s ideas has been the average positioning of the full-backs, notably lower on average, as shown in the graph below.

Image
Pass Network Barcelona-Granada

Barcelona’s build-up in the first phase has not changed much from the last years, as centre-backs have pushed high (independent of the specific players) and Busquets receiving through the back-line, from wide or central areas depending on the opposition’s pressing scheme. It however is in the second phase, from the deep midfield that Xavi’s ideas have deferred from his predecessor. Koeman had insisted on wide areas as priority: Xavi has so far preferred the center while using interaction with wide players to disorientate opposition blocks. This can be explained by the players he likes to use in ‘Gavi’, Jutglá, and previously Dembélé.

Still a way to go

Where possession remains a tool that for Barcelona, its usage remains to be refined in different game states. The Blaugranas have failed to control games that should have been secured: Due to various weaknesses in the front line, the team hasn’t been able to finish off games, leaving games in a dominant state fro the first sixty minutes to a shy one goal leads. Repercussions have included late equalizers from the opponent as Barcelona’s core cannot remain still in the last quarter of the game.

A sigh that is certainly unfamiliar for Xavi Hernández, known for controlling games in his emblematic ‘6’ shirt as a player. Young or old, Jordi Alba or ‘Gavi’, individuals have lacked cold-blooded temper to remain focused and composed in the last quarter. Expulsions or sloppy tackles have stormed the Camp Nou, often hampering the team’s potential throughout the games. A problem that will need time and patience to be resolved.

Image

Good signs

On the bright side of things, Barcelona’s movement in the final third has improved, notably through new profiles, in Jutglá and Ferran Torres lately. A familiar idea from Enrique’s La Roja that Xavi has used is overloading certain areas while distracting eventual defenders in order to advance collectively, as one single unit.

“We want to press high, we want to recover the ball in our opponent’s half, we want to be an intense team, we want to create chances. I am not discovering anything, that’s Barca’s DNA. An intense team, trying to give our all on the field and we are Barca and we have to try to win every single game.”

-Xavi Hernández, press conference, November 2021

Enrique’s F.C Barcelona made itself a name for using counter-pressing as a mechanism to scare the opponent away. Lucho’s influence on Xavi is noticeable. Instead of vain attempts to focus on the ball holder after losing the ball, the Catalan has preferred a man-marking scheme, though problematic in disadvantageous situations.

Image

A significant part of Barcelona’s pressing is to be seen in possession, with Eric Garcia’s importance emerging as the ball-carrier. Often has he and Piqué been responsible for intercepting the opposition’s long-balls attempts to recycle possession at the half-way line. Both have improved in their general performances: their value on and off the ball most certainly have been key.

Image

Barcelona’s base structure, mentioned earlier, works best when the opponent doesn’t press high: For obvious reasons. But life doesn’t always give the best scenario. In the last Copa Del Rey exit against Athletic Club, Barcelona struggled to bypass the Basque pressing.

Image

Dealing with high press

Barcelona’s usually 2+1/3+2 scheme did not work due to Marcelino’s instructions. They found it easy to nullify Barcelona’s progression from all sides. Piqué and Araujo had not pushed up for mysterious reasons and access to Busquets was therefore blocked. On the other hand, progression through the wide areas was rendered impossible as well. Athletic Club has a man on either full-back ready to close all angles. Thy psychic consequence of discouragement was easily noticeable. It could be argued whether it was a one-off, but Barcelona often suffers this pattern since years against high-pressing schemes.

A viable solution that coach Xavi would have to study is to teach his interior to willingly drop deeper or to avoid his centre-backs’ timidity through instructions. Xavi had mentioned being caught off by “the intensity” of Athletic Club.

Despite ranking fifth in La Liga as of January 28th, Barcelona’s Xavi is far from a ready product, as shown in the dull, forgettable games against Deportivo Alavés in the graph below.

Image

This was one of the rare games where central progression remained minor with little creativity proposed, from both sides. With an unbalanced squad, it remains to see what the true ceiling of the roster currently is for this season. With the useful addition of Ferran Torres, Barcelona have earned themselves a more reliable goalscorer though likely to also replace Dembélé, snubbed for his camp’s difficulty when it comes to contract renewal.
It most likely is the case that coach Xavi expect to be able to use Ousmane on a weekly basis. Unfortunately for the Catalan, the Frenchman will not play despite being an important part of Xavi’s project as Barcelona’s most dangerous outlet out wide as Ansu Fati’s injuries extend his time off the pitch.

Frenkie de Jong

Another core part of Xavi’s original plan isn’t exactly working as intended. His name? Frenkie de Jong. The dutch midfielder is yet to understand his purpose on the pitch, serving as an aid across the pitch without finding his Ajax-self yet. Being Barcelona’s biggest hope for the near present, fans will hope coach Xavi will find a way to find the best version of Frenkie once again.

“When I look at Frenkie today, he gives me the impression of being very shy on the field. He doesn’t show the energy he used to have. He seems a bit lost. Sometimes you have slumps and he’s going through that period. You can see notice he’s not happy.”

-Ronald De Boer, January 2022 via El Pais

Youngsters to the rescue

Other players like Gavi have enjoyed gametime under coach Xavi, notably as the teenager has been key in forming triangles with decent 1v1 abiliy as a midfielder. With the likes of Nico, Gavi, possibly Memphis and Pedri, Barcelona’s ability to break the lines should improve. More players will need to arrive. In almost all departments. Offloading players was also a difficult task. A surprising joker has been Luuk de Jong, too. Despite his clear flaws, it seems like coach Xavi uses him well. Ironically, he has been better off with the Catalan than Koeman who wanted him.

Player development is a big topic with Xavi, too. Though Dest seemingly isn’t convincing despite low play-time, we can agree other players are improving under coach Xavi. This includes the likes of Gavi, but also Eric Garcia and Araujo. The usage of Abde and Jutglá have also been interesting. Though fueled by injuries, their presence has been a positive in their contribution. They’re B-player that have helped when necessary, without becoming guaranteed starters.
Abde for example said that “Xavi told me to dribble” and he’ll need to improve. While his 1v1 dribbling is unique i the squad, he needs to improve his ball reception and awareness. There are many excellent players, and deciding who to (not) keep will be a headache for Xavi & co.

Tags: analysisxavi
ElJdP

ElJdP

Positional play expressed through all phases of play, a football fan that fell in love with the Beautiful Game over 10 years ago. Occasionally writes about FC Barcelona for Barca_Buzz, on tactics and attempts to explain the game to the casual eye.

Related Posts

I had to score more goals
Barça News

Match Review : Girona vs FC Barcelona (0-1)

28th January 2023
Memphis Depay already in Madrid to seal Atlético transfer
Barça News

Memphis Depay officially joins Atletico Madrid

20th January 2023
Memphis Depay transfer drama spikes as Atletico won’t let Carrasco go – report
Barça News

How the next days will look for Memphis Depay

18th January 2023
Pedri’s incredible extra time record
Barça News

Pedri’s incredible extra time record

13th January 2023
Sergio Busquets and Joaquín’s ‘Last Dance’… or not?
Barça News

Sergio Busquets and Joaquín’s ‘Last Dance’… or not?

12th January 2023
Why Ferran Torres & Savic were sent off in Barça’s win vs. Atletico
Barça News

Barça forward Ferran Torres handed two-game LaLiga ban

11th January 2023
Load More
Next Post
*UPDATING* – Transfer Deadline Day January 2022 is Here!

*UPDATING* - Transfer Deadline Day January 2022 is Here!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Buzzing NOW

Tweets by Barca_Buzz
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
What really happened between Leo Messi and Gerard Pique?

What really happened between Leo Messi and Gerard Pique?

6th November 2022
What’s true and What’s not about the FC Barcelona financial status

What’s true and What’s not about the FC Barcelona financial status

11th July 2022

Messi doing the “Riquelme” celebration in front of Van Gaal

10th December 2022
barca songs

The Barca songs – Time to learn (With English Subtitles)

11th November 2021

Joan Laporta : “I turned down a 250 million offer for young Leo Messi”

5
Haaland? FC Barcelona transfer news

FC Barcelona transfer news : January is approaching

5
signing pjanic makes sense?

Opinion : Is signing Miralem Pjanic makes sense after all?

5
xavi announces leaving

TBT : May 21 – The day Xavi announced that he will leave Barcelona

5
Gavi is Barça’s new No.6 as he is finally registered with LaLiga

Match Preview : Real Betis VS Barça – La Liga

1st February 2023
I had to score more goals

Match Review : Girona vs FC Barcelona (0-1)

28th January 2023
Koundé, the defensive bulwark who also assists

Match Preview : Girona VS Barça – La Liga

28th January 2023
Andreas Christensen – One Of The Signings Of The Season So Far.

Andreas Christensen – One Of The Signings Of The Season So Far.

26th January 2023

BB Radio

Recommended

Gavi is Barça’s new No.6 as he is finally registered with LaLiga

Match Preview : Real Betis VS Barça – La Liga

1st February 2023
I had to score more goals

Match Review : Girona vs FC Barcelona (0-1)

28th January 2023
Koundé, the defensive bulwark who also assists

Match Preview : Girona VS Barça – La Liga

28th January 2023
Andreas Christensen – One Of The Signings Of The Season So Far.

Andreas Christensen – One Of The Signings Of The Season So Far.

26th January 2023
uh07p1j9l95kqz46hg39xy0953z15ia81ybp6tb8x19
  • Thoughts on the possible signing of Pavard to Barça? 🇫🇷🤔
  • ❗️OFFICIAL: Barcelona will face Real Madrid in the Semi-Final of the Copa del Rey.

The first leg of the CdR semis were to be played on 8th Feb but Real Madrid will be participating in the CWC.

So the first leg will be played in the date of the 2nd leg i.e 2nd March and the 2nd leg will depend on Barça
  • Lewandowski
  • 📣FULL-TIME: Girona 0-1 Barcelona.
⚽ 61
  • MATCHDAY: Girona vs Barcelona.

🏆| La Liga MatchDay 19.
🏟| Estadi Municipal de Montilivi, Girona.
📅| 28th January, 2023.
⏰| 16:15 CET.
Referee: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz.
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube TikTok

About Us

An independent source of information about FC Barcelona. We are here to bring you the latest news and analyze everything related to our beloved team. Força Barça!

Categories

  • Analysis
  • Barça Basket
  • Barça Femeni
  • Barça History
  • Barça News
  • Barça Travel
  • La Masia
  • Transfer Rumors

Archives

© 2022 Barcabuzz - Sharing what's Buzzing with Barça.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • BarcaBuzz TV
    • BB Radio
  • Barça News
    • Transfer Rumors
  • Barça History
    • The Cruyff Story
    • Lionel Messi quotes
    • Xavi Quotes
    • Iniesta Quotes
  • La Masia
  • Merchandise
  • Community
    • Barça Travel
    • Barca songs
    • Gallery
    • Barcelona Calendar
    • Trivia
  • Analysis

© 2022 Barcabuzz - Sharing what's Buzzing with Barça.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT