Camp Nou manager faces tough job when a faster, more robust and physical game can overwhelm technique and possession
Xavi is back. With him as coach, Barcelona want to revive a great era. Thanks to his technique and overview, he was a world-class footballer who played strategically and with the team in mind. He supported his teammates as a play-off station, he set the scene for them precisely, he always found solutions. It seemed impossible to separate him from the ball, even when he was surrounded.
In Xavi’s heyday, Spain were practically unbeatable, becoming European champions, world champions, European champions in successive tournaments. In the Euro finals, in 2008 and 2012, he assisted four goals. For a period he dominated the Champions League with Barcelona – winning the title twice and reaching the semi-finals in four other years. “It was the best team we have ever faced,” said Manchester United’s coach Alex Ferguson years after losing the 2011 final, when tiki-taka was at its peak.
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