Xavi leaves Barcelona: who will lead the Catalan club this summer?

“The feeling of being a Barcelona coach is cruel and unpleasant, you feel like people don’t respect you most of the time,” Xavi told reporters after the 3-5 home defeat to Villarreal. “It’s terrible for your mental health, your morale. To the point where you think there’s no point in continuing. »

Nine months ago, Xavi and his team won La Liga, but now the team is in disarray and does not dream of winning the championship. Moreover, the Super Cup has already been lost to Real Madrid in a humiliating match in Saudi Arabia – 1:4. Then, Barça also crashed out of the Spanish Cup, losing to Atlético. There is still the Champions League, but the Catalan team is far from being favorites.

“I feel like I’m doing the right thing, using common sense,” Xavi added after announcing he would leave his post this summer. “I think the club needs to change dynamics. The dynamic is very negative.

The question is: who is the person who can change this dynamic?

Motta played for Barcelona and first joined the club in 1999 at the age of 17. Unfortunately, the young player did not prove himself at the club due to injuries, but at the same time he spent 8 years at Barca and won La Liga and the Champions League.

After retiring in 2018, Motta became a coach and worked at Genoa and Spezia before taking over at Bologna in September 2022. Since then, he has transformed the team and is now 6th in Serie A. Bologna has a budget modest and not the strongest squad, but Motta gave them a progressive style of play.

Motta may not be an obvious choice, but it would be interesting to see him working with a group of quality players after his excellent results at Bologna.

According to Sport Bild, Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes Flick is the ideal person to take over, despite the former Bayern Munich coach’s failure to lead the German national team.

Flick became the first man to be sacked from the national team, having won just 12 of his 25 matches at the helm, but he joined a team already in decline. The 58-year-old coach may now regret his initial departure from Bayern, where he won seven trophies in less than two years. His version of Bayern was a ruthless pressing machine and he is exactly the figure Barcelona needs to get back on track next season.

Arteta only won the FA Cup during his four years at Arsenal, but he deserves huge credit for being the Gunners’ title contender again and has many of the same coaching qualities as his former mentor Pep Guardiola . The Spaniard is under contract with the Gunners until 2025, but Diario Sport claims he is considering leaving at the end of the season.

Arteta might just be tempted by a new challenge amid reports he is on Deco’s three-man shortlist to replace Xavi.

De Zerbi worked wonders at Sassuolo before turning Brighton into a top six team in the Premier League. The Seagulls are now one of the most interesting teams in Europe.

Manchester City have been mooted as a potential next destination for De Zerbi, who appears to be the ideal heir to Guardiola, but would be an even better fit for Barcelona. In fact, the 44-year-old coach is now the bookmakers’ favorite to lead Barcelona, ​​showing just how highly regarded he is.

Michel is doing wonders this season with Girona, who are currently the best team in Catalonia and giving Real Madrid a battle for the league title.

However, attracting Michel will be difficult, since Girona is a project of the City Football Group (CFG), owners of Manchester City. This means Michel could well replace Guardiola in England.

Barcelona could still take the easier option and promote Marquez, who has been coaching the club’s second team since July 2022.

Marquez has a good relationship with Deco and is one of the most decorated players in the club’s history, having won four La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, among other trophies.

The only problem is that fans appear to be against Marquez’s promotion to first-team level and Laporta probably won’t want to risk provoking a fan backlash.

Another shocking exit at the end of the season is Jurgen Klopp’s farewell to Liverpool. The 56-year-old admitted he was “tired” after nine years at the English club and said he would take a long break from coaching.

It is obvious that Klopp will not coach in England after Liverpool, but why not start again in Spain? According to the Daily Mail, Laporta has always been a fan of Klopp and considered him his “dream” coach. Barcelona could well try to lure the German to Camp Nou.

Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic