Xavi reflects on his time as Barcelona manager – ‘I admit I made some mistakes’ | OneFootball

Hansi Flick has well and truly changed Barcelona, right from the fitness of players to the attacking football and most importantly the monster mentality.

However, it is safe to say that the foundations of the current young team were laid by Xavi Hernandez during his stint at the club.

The club legend was sacked at the end of last season, ironically just weeks after agreeing to stay. While the management of his situation should have been more gracious, it did work out well for Barcelona who needed a fresh perspective to get out of stagnancy.

Xavi’s reflections as a manager

Speaking to France Football via Florent Torchut in his first detailed interview since leaving Barcelona, Xavi opened up on his time in Catalonia as a manager and how he reflected on it.

He began by insisting that his time at the club was anything but a failure, and rightfully so.

“If you look at our record – and I include my coaching staff with me – it is very positive.”

He also justified his stance on the matter, saying,

“Because the club was in one of its worst periods in history, perhaps even worse than the beginning of the millennium.”

Xavi then proceeded to address the sky-high expectations that were placed on him by the external world and the high expectations he placed on himself.

“The expectations were very high because of my history with Barcelona. Maybe my deep emotional connection to the club hurt me at times, I was too emotional at times, but this experience was a real learning experience for me.”

Xavi admits mistakes

While he did insist that his period as the club manager was a success, the legend was humble enough to accept that he did make mistakes during his tenure.

“I admit I made some mistakes in management. Busquets’ departure forced us to rethink our style of play.”

“I chose to play with a midfield of three attacking players, but it wasn’t always the best option,” he added.

Xavi was sacked at the end of the 2023/24 season by Barcelona. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Concurrently, he spoke on the pride it gave him to have given debuts and chances to players who today make the club great again and look set to define an era.

“Beyond the titles, I feel proud to have trusted a new generation like Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde… They represent the future of the club.”

On his arrival as a manager

Speaking on how he arrived in Catalonia as a coach, Xavi revealed that the club had actually contacted him twice before Joan Laporta did.

“Barcelona contacted me twice before before Laporta contacted me, but I didn’t feel ready yet.”

He then revealed his thoughts on his first season as the manager of the club of his dreams.

“My first year and a half at Barcelona was very good. We had a project with Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff.”

“It allowed us to finish the league in second place, then win the league and the Spanish Super Cup. But after that, the results declined,” he added.

The club legend then attributed the lowering of level to the departure of key figures who completed his project.

“The departure of Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany was a huge blow.”

Xavi then opened up on his managerial style and how he developed experience in a short time in Qatar.

“In Qatar, coaches like Massimiliano Allegri, Pep Guardiola, and Hansi Flick visited us. I attended several coaching conferences, which helped me develop.”

“There, I discovered a different football, far from Cruyff’s principles,” he added.

Speaking on how he looked to modernise football by combining the best elements of varied styles, he said,

“Some coaches favoured counter-attacks, low defensive blocks, zonal marking and quick transition, which were things I had never been trained in before in my career.”

“This made me think about my own vision of football. When you are a coach, you have to master all aspects of the game: transitions, set pieces – which account for almost a quarter of goals worldwide according to a FIFA study – and the physical side,” he added.

He then elaborated on the importance of a high press in today’s football and how he tried to implement that at Barcelona.

“The player has become a complete athlete, and the game has become faster: in three seconds, a recovery of the ball turns into an attack. At Barcelona, ​​we dominated the opponent, and few coaches relied on high pressing.”

“Now, everyone does it to win the ball back quickly. So, you have to work on getting the ball out, the middle block, without neglecting any detail,” he added.

Summarising his philosophy, Xavi said,

“My philosophy is based on 4 elements: Pressure, Possession, Centrality, Perception, and Passion.”

Despite his preference for a modern game over the traditional Cruyffian style, Xavi admitted to being a man influenced by possession-style football.

“I love watching teams that have the ball and put pressure on the opponent when they lose it.”

“I follow Guardiola with Manchester City, Arne Slot with Liverpool, Vincent Kompany with Bayern Munich, Xabi Alonso with Leverkusen, Mikel Arteta with Arsenal, Roberto De Zerbi with Marseille, Luis Enrique in Paris.”

Opening up on his ambitions as a manager, Xavi hinted at taking on a national team job at some time in the future.

“As a coach, I want to win the Champions League, the Euros, the World Cup.”

The former Barcelona manager was then asked if he had any particular league in mind that he wanted to try next, to which he responded by saying that he kept his options open.

“No, I’m open. Why not coach another team in La Liga? I’m looking for an exciting project and I have the ambition to win titles. That’s the main goal.”

“I would be open to different offers. Why not also coach a national team and participate in the World Cup qualifiers?”