There will be a new manager in the Barcelona dugout for the start of next season. Xavi Hernandez has already confirmed his decision to step down at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, leaving the Catalan club to search for a replacement over the next few months.
There is no apparent plan in place. Barca weren’t prepared for Xavi to leave.
Of course, Xavi’s announcement didn’t come completely out of the blue. The former midfielder has expressed his unhappiness in the position over a number of weeks. With Barcelona third in the La Liga table, he had already made it clear his desire to step down if Barcelona failed to win anything this season.
Barcelona, however, isn’t a club that does a lot of forward planning, as proven by the calamitous events of the last few years. Before they identify a new manager to take over from Xavi this summer, Barca must settle on a broader plan for the club’s future. This is something they have failed to do in the past.
Most fans want Barcelona to play possession-orientated soccer in the mould of the soccer played by Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola’s teams. They also want a consistent conveyer belt of young talent into the first team from Barca’s famous ‘La Masia’ academy. This could inform Barcelona’s search for a new manager.
However, these were things Xavi prioritised after taking the helm. He also achieved some success in this regard. Barca were more possession-orientated than they had been under Ronald Koeman. They controlled the majority of the matches they played last season as they strolled to their first La Liga title in four years.
Xavi also did a lot to bring through a number of young players. He built around Gavi and Pedri as the beating heart of his new-look team. Alejandro Balde was made a first team figure. So too was Fermin Lopez. Even this season, Hector Font and Pau Cubarsi have been given an opportunity to show they are ready for regular action.
This is where Barcelona must settle on what they actually want their team to look like post-Xavi. Do they really value these aforementioned things or is winning all that truly matters? Would supporters be satisfied with the appointment of another pragmatist like Ernesto Valverde if he delivered silverware?
Jose Mourinho would certainly be of that ilk. The Portuguese coach is available after his firing by Roma last month and has been mischievously linked with the Barcelona job. Mourinho might have missed his chance to coach Barca 16 years ago, but someone like Manuel Pellegrini could be the right profile of pragmatist to point the Catalans in the right direction.
Thiago Motta would be a more exciting, but still rational, appointment. The former Barcelona midfielder is currently doing an excellent job at Bologna with The Red and Blues in contention for a top four finish in Serie A. Motta is a sharp tactician with some interesting ideas on how to set up a team.
At the other end of the spectrum are the idealists who are more in line with Barcelona’s traditional identity. Mikel Arteta has been strongly linked with the position and would be a statement appointment. Arteta has turned Arsenal into an entertaining, attack-minded outfit capable of holding their own at the top level of English and European soccer.
Julian Nagelsmann will be available after Euro 2024 with the former Bayern Munich boss only in charge of Germany on a short-term contract until the end of the tournament. He is another modern and forward-thinking manager with innovative tactical ideas who would re-energise Barcelona on the pitch.
Barcelona might not have the money to lure Arteta or Nagelsmann, but Michel could be a realistic target. He is the mastermind who guided Girona to the top of the La Liga table with the tiny club still in the thick of the Spanish title race with Real Madrid. Michel is a bold, courageous coach who could improve several of the Barca squad.
Whoever takes over from Xavi this summer, Barcelona have a long way to go to reach the elite level of the sport. There is a promising core within the Catalans’ squad, but Xavi’s replacement could be doomed if the club fails once again to figure out some internal issues before making a hire.
