Sources have told ESPN that some members of the squad feel responsible for Xavi’s exit and would have liked him to stay while, as previously revealed on ESPN, others had begun to lose faith in his ideas. However, the hope now is that united goals — in LaLiga and the Champions League — could have a galvanising effect. “We are going to give everything to finish the season in the best way possible,” the source said.
“The objectives from the start of season may seem distant right now, but we are not going to give up on them.”
The task of replacing Xavi
In the background, Barça will step up their search for Xavi’s replacement, with sources saying the club will carry out a “thorough recruitment process” and that no developments are imminent. The visible face of that process will be Deco, who in effect replaced both Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff last summer. Many others will also be involved, starting with president Joan Laporta, who will seek counsel from those he trusts the most — including vice president Rafa Yuste, director Enric Masip and his biggest adviser, Alejandro Echevarría, who does not have an official role at the club.
Laporta also tends to work with agents and intermediaries with whom he has close ties. That is true in terms of the transfer market, and sources say it will also be the case when it comes to appointing the next coach. Mendes and Pini Zahavi are two such agents with whom he has especially close links.
Beyond those influences, Barça tend to value certain factors higher than others in comparison to some of Europe’s other biggest clubs. Things like inside knowledge of the club, some kind of “club legend” status and talking up a game based on the club’s Johan Cruyff-inspired ideals are often given more weight than experience or suitability to the modern game.
The club’s financial situation also poses problems. Barça are over their LaLiga-imposed spending limit, which means they must either continue to make cutbacks or generate more revenue to be able to invest in the squad — including the coaching position. A source at LaLiga says the possibility of being able to pay compensation for a manager under contract — ESPN reported that Chelsea had to pay Brighton up to €21m to get Graham Potter out of his contract, for example — in addition to their salary at the moment is “slim.”
“The thing the next coach must have is a clear idea of the way they want to play,” Xavi Vilajoana, a former Barça director and presidential candidate in the past election, told ESPN. “I am speaking about the idea, not the system. For that, you have to keep in mind what players you have and what players you are going to have — meaning players from La Masia [the academy]. From there, you analyse the coaches that fit that idea and the experience they have — and if they are free.
“You’re looking for someone who knows or understands the club’s ideas when it comes to playing style, someone who has confidence in the players coming from the academy and who is a good communicator, someone whose knowledge reaches the players, but at the same time is able to motivate and be demanding with the group.
“A history with the club carries weight, but the weight of expectation is much more. It cannot be the case that we have to win nearly every trophy every season. That is not possible. What can be demanded is that we compete in every competition and are in a situation to win it until the end.”
It all makes for a complicated cocktail when trying to agree on one name, with people pulling in different directions for different reasons, which explains why such a wide array of managers — with differing styles, levels of experience and/or contemporary employment — have already been linked to the vacancy.
Candidates for the job
Barça went for an in-house option after Guardiola stepped down, appointing his assistant Tito Vilanova in 2012. Members of Xavi’s backroom staff — which includes his brother, Oscar — are not being considered, but Barça Atlétic coach Rafa Marquez is in the running and perhaps represents the most affordable option on the table. Sources told ESPN before Xavi’s announcement that the former Mexico international would be a front-runner to replace Xavi on an interim basis should he leave midseason — which is still not completely out of the question — but there are doubts as to whether Marquez would be given the job long-term and his chances of a promotion are reduced.
Returns for Manchester City‘s Pep Guardiola and Paris Saint-Germain‘s Luis Enrique have also been touted, though both are viewed internally as “unrealistic” options.
