After achieving his dream of returning to his love of Barcelona as a coach after his brilliance in his ranks as a player, Xavi Hernandez will have to address five things in the Catalan club in order to return him to the right track.
Barcelona decided, at dawn on Saturday, to contract with its former player to supervise him for the remainder of the current season and the next two seasons, to succeed the article Dutchman, Ronald Koeman, after he preceded him to that Qatari dam, on Friday, by announcing that he had reached an agreement to leave his Spanish coach to the "Camp Nou".
By replacing a former player also in the ranks of "Blaugrana" in the person of Koman, the first champion of Barcelona's coronation in the Champions League in 1992 at the expense of Italian Sampdoria (1-0 free kick in the second extra half), Xavi will have an arduous task to restore the team. To the position it was in when he led him in the midfield to win the local league title eight times and the Champions League four times before leaving it in 2015 to defend the colors of Al Sadd.
Barcelona is suffering from a stifling financial crisis due to debts, part of which is due to the huge salary of Argentine star, Lionel Messi, who left the club for Paris Saint-Germain last summer because the latter is no longer able to bear the burden of his salary.
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Barcelona is currently ninth in the Spanish League after winning only two of its last seven matches.
AFP takes a look at five things that must be addressed in Blaugrana:
- Reduce the gap with the foreground quadrant
Barcelona's difficult financial situation simply means that the club cannot bear the consequences of not qualifying for the Champions League next season.
The club has a debt of 1.35 billion euros ($1.57 billion) and any attempt to rebuild financially and on the field will depend on participation in the Champions League next season.
Certainly, the situation is salvageable, because Barcelona can compensate for the six-point difference that separates it from leaders Real Sociedad with a postponed match in the quiver of the Catalans. Atlético Madrid, the defending champion, is only three behind, and both teams also have a game in hand.
- Qualification for the Champions League final
Barcelona revived its chances of qualifying for the Champions League final with two successive victories over Dynamo Kiev, after two humiliating losses, 0-3, against Bayern Munich and Benfica.
But there is still work to be done, as Barcelona must travel to Munich to face Bayern in the last round after hosting Benfica on the 23rd of this month.
It is certain that obtaining the second ticket qualifying for the final price of the fifth group (Bayern decided the first after winning its four matches so far), after such a bad start under the leadership of Koeman, will give the new coach an early boost of credibility while the club will avoid losing the 9.6 million euros, which it has already paid for. He will get it if he reaches the first playoff round.
- Gameplay improvement
The most notable criticism of Koeman has centered on his playing style, with many performances lacking either creativity or a clear sense of plan.
Barcelona may not have the same talents as the days of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Messi, but there is still room for improvement in the current performance.
Combining the club's tradition of possession with a modern counter-pressing style of play will bring fans back to the good old days and give players faith that the long-term vision is at least in place.
- Rely on young talents
One of Koeman's most notable achievements is that he promoted a talented group of young people, and the challenge now will be for Xavi to make the most of their potential.
Ansu Fati and Pedri are talents that can certainly be built on for the future, but the likes of Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, American Serginho Dest, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez and Alex Baldi have also shown a lot of talent and need the right care.
And if he can invest their talents together with more experienced players such as Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba who must also manage their future, Barcelona can have a very exciting future.
- turn the page of messi
Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain in August left a huge hole in Barcelona, revealing his absence from the cracks the Argentine has covered for so long.
Barcelona have struggled to score this season with Memphis Depay's lack of consistency and Luke de Jong's limited offensive contribution, but there was also a lack of faith.
Koeman constantly demanded realistic expectations, but his pessimistic assessment sometimes came close to defeatism.
Barcelona may not be able to afford to sign a star like Frenchman Kilian Mbappe to fill the void, but at the moment it seems that the players need some confidence to manage the team's affairs at the lowest possible cost and lead it to improve its results and with it its stifling financial crisis.
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