Next Barcelona manager: Who will replace Xavi?

It hardly came as a surprise when Xavi announced he would be leaving Barcelona at the end of the season.

While a club icon, managers are rarely afforded patience in Catalonia, with Xavi’s time having ran out in the Barca dugout. The 44-year-old confirmed his decision to step aside following his side’s dismal 5-3 defeat at the hands of La Liga strugglers Villarreal, two incredibly late stoppage-time goals sealing his fate.

Despite winning the Spanish league title last season, it’s been an altogether different campaign for the former midfielder this year. Saturday’s defeat left Barca ten points off rivals Real Madrid and 11 off table toppers Girona, with the increased frequency of underwhelming performances having left the Catalan side bereft of confidence.

But who could replace Xavi in the Barca hot seat?

Having come under immense scrutiny for Barcelona’s disappointing performances, pressure got the better of Xavi in the end. The Spaniard attributed the unmanageable stress of the job to his decision to leave during his announcement, confessing his time in the dugout mentally drained him.

“The feeling of being a Barcelona coach is cruel, unpleasant, you feel disrespected,” he claimed. “It’s a terrible drain on your mental health, your mood, to the point that you say you don’t have it in you to continue. My closest friends know it.

“It happened to all the coaches who have passed through this club. It is impossible for there to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson of Barcelona.”

Xavi went even further during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Osasuna clash, suggesting that the club and its supporters disrespected Barca’s achievements during his reign.

“I made the decision [to leave] a long time ago. Our work is not valued enough,” said Xavi. “And at the beginning of the season I already thought it would be the last. I don’t rule out returning. Barca will have me for whatever they need, but now I think they don’t need me. I think work is not valued.

“That’s how I feel. It’s like that. They make you feel worthless every day. Speaking with Pep [Guardiola], he already told me that. It also happened with [Ernesto] Valverde. I saw Luis Enrique suffer. We have to reflect. We have a problem with the demands of this charge. It seems like you’re risking your life every moment. That’s why I say it’s cruel, it’s not enjoyable.”

News of Xavi’s departure was far from unexpected as the walls closed in on the legendary ex-midfielder. Despite performances and results having nosedived under the 2010 World Cup winner this season, Frenkie de Jong was quick to accept the blame on behalf of the Barca players.

“It’s our fault, players’ fault – if it doesn’t work out it’s our fault,” said the Dutch midfielder after defeat to Villarreal. “This can’t happen to a top team. If you come back and are 3-2 up, you can’t leave that much space on a counter attack.

“We have to do much better. We have complete confidence in Xavi and the staff, they’re doing a good job. This can’t happen and it’s our fault.”

However, Xavi would announce his exit shortly after De Jong’s admission, with Barca’s stars unable to save their sinking coach.

Xavi was quick to receive backing from Barca managers of recent years, especially regarding the sheer pressure felt on the sidelines in Catalonia. In fact, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola went as far as to say that the pressure felt by coaches in Spain is far greater than in England.

“We cannot compare the pressure we have in England and Spain in my experience. It’s a thousand times higher and tougher there in Spain than here,” said Guardiola.

“Here for the managers is a real place to be. Obviously, there are a lot of games and six press conferences a week and a game every three days. But the pressure you feel in Barcelona is not comparable to another club. I understand completely.”

There have, rather unsurprisingly, already been plenty of rumours linking a plethora of coaches with the Barca job, the most unlikely of which would have to be Jurgen Klopp. Similarly to Xavi but for very different reasons, the Liverpool boss announced his decision to leave the Reds at the end of the season.

However, while Barca president Joan Laporta is a big admirer of Klopp, the German has claimed he will take a one-year sabbatical, with a proposal from the Catalan side unlikely to change his mind.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has also been linked with the position but instantly rebuffed speculation that he was planning to leave north London in favour of a return to the club that he graduated from as an academy player.

There had been reports suggesting Thomas Tuchel had openly spoken about his desire to replace Xavi at Barca, but his current employers Bayern Munich swiftly denied such talk, labelling it “a disgrace.”

Former Barca defender Rafa Marquez has confessed it would be impossible to turn down the opportunity to manage the Catalan giants – the Mexico international is currently employed as Barca Atletic coach.

Appointed as Barcelona boss in 2021, Xavi was able to bring some success to the club, albeit nowhere near the levels he enjoyed as a player.

During his first full season in charge of the club, he won two trophies, most significantly ending Barca’s four-year wait for a La Liga title. Built on the solid foundations of a well-drilled defence, they eased to glory, finishing ten points ahead of bitter foes Real Madrid.

Earlier in the campaign, Xavi had got his hands on his first trophy as Barca boss by guiding his side to the Supercopa de Espana title. After a penalty shootout victory over Real Betis in the semi-final, the Catalan club beat Madrid 3-1 in the showpiece match.

In all honestly, Barcelona are unlikely to finish this season with silverware. Currently chasing Girona and Real Madrid at the summit of the table, they would need to string together an unbelievable run of form and rely on collapses elsewhere to overcome the gap.

Xavi missed the opportunity for redemption in the Supercopa de Espana final when his side lost 4-1 to Madrid, while an extra-time defeat at the hands of Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarter-final means there will be no domestic cup success for Barca this term.

As a result, and rather ironically, their best chance of a title this season will come in the Champions League, Xavi’s side set to take on Napoli in the Diego Maradona derby in the last 16. With the likes of Manchester City and Madrid in the competition, European glory looks an incredibly slim possibility.

La Liga

Champions League

Copa del Rey

Supercopa de Espana

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