5 Barcelona players who could suffer under Xavi
It is no longer breaking news that Barcelona have appointed club legend Xavi Hernandez as their permanent manager after a nightmarish spell under Ronald Koeman. Like Koeman, Xavi is another who graced the Nou Camp in his active playing days before returning to serve at the club as manager many years later.
The Dutch manager implemented a system of football that is somewhat alien to Barcelona in recent years, favoring pragmatism over the club's 'total football' mantra.
Xavi will look to help Barcelona return to their glory days
While this deviation did not start with Koeman, it most definitely has ended with him, at least for now, because Xavi is known as a tiki-taka expert. The Spaniard won seven titles in two seasons at Al Sadd using a system quite similar to the one he played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
It was meant to be.
Welcome home. https://t.co/gdGdFedk7t
Since Koeman and previous managers signed and used players that fit into their systems, some of these players may not fit into Xavi's master plan. On that note, here are five players who could suffer under Xavi at Barcelona:
#5 Sergi Roberto
One of the club's four captains at present, Sergi Roberto, graduated from the famed La Masia academy. There were hopes of him one day becoming a midfield maestro in the mold of Xavi for Barcelona.
The versatile Spaniard became Luis Enrique's go-to right back at the club and fully established himself playing in the position. Roberto became something of a safety net at right-back for subsequent managers, keeping the defense tight without doing too much upfield.
Modern positional football requires full-backs who can bomb up and down the flank, something Sergiño Dest and Oscar Mingueza are better suited to. Roberto's conversion to full-back hindered him from progressing as a midfielder, and he will now find himself behind a plethora of midfielders who are first-choice.
Dani Alves con 38 años está a un nivel superior que Sergi Roberto y Dest, a parte de la experiencia y estilo de juego que aporta. Yo soy Xavi y lo llamo para que se quede hasta final de temporada.
El año que viene ya te cargas a todos los veteranos y empiezas proyecto de 0
Roberto's minutes at Barcelona would be limited under Xavi, and at 29, he may decide to move on. He is also in the final year of his contract at Camp Nou.
#4 Phillippe Coutinho
Signed from Liverpool for a fee of £142 million, Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho has failed to make a real impression at Barcelona. The 29-year-old's best spell came when he spent a season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the UEFA Champions League. Coutinho has struggled with injury since moving to Barcelona and has failed to nail down a starting berth at Camp Nou.
Coutinho is of a breed of footballers that is quickly going towards extinction, a traditional no. 10. He relies on his vision, passing range and shooting ability to make a difference to the team, rather than his dribbling or pace. He often played on the wing under Ronald Koeman when fit but could be seen drifting infield regularly.
❗ This winter, Barça will try again to get rid of Coutinho who earns the most money on the squad. Once Xavi is coach, Coutinho is not expected to have much presence on the pitch. His market value is now at 20M euros (via @ARAesports)
Xavi would require an out-and-out winger or wide forward for his system to work. Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay would likely be the preferred options for Barcelona going forward, limiting Coutinho's playing time.