Barcelona lost a thrilling La Liga match against Villarreal on January 27, but it wasn’t the result that grabbed the headlines long after the match.
Coach Xavi announced after the 5-3 home defeat that he would leave Barça at the end of the season. The former star midfielder said the decision was “for the good of the players” after finding life difficult in 2023/24 after winning the title last season.
“For the good of the board of directors, it is best that I leave,” said Xavi after a defeat that left Barça 11 points behind surprise leader Girona. “I will do my best. I think all of that will help the dynamic change. This is the message I would like to give. I think I am doing the right thing.”
Attention now focuses on Xavi’s successor. The prospect of replacing a club legend would be challenging enough, but Barca’s persistent financial difficulties mean that a job once considered the pinnacle of men’s football is now fraught with difficulty.
Taking over from Xavi: next candidates for Barcelona coach
For some time now, some directors and officials in the corridors of power in Barcelona have been thinking about a Plan B in the event of Xavi’s eventual departure, which will now occur at the end of the season. However, at the moment there is no candidate who stands out above the rest.
In a race that is expected to be very close unless a name emerges that has the full backing of everyone at the Blaugrana, these are the main early contenders.
Imanol Alguacil
One of the early favorites, Imanol Alguacil, has reportedly impressed the Barcelona hierarchy since his involvement with his job at Real Sociedad.
The 52-year-old has spent his entire coaching career at the Basque club, working at different levels before taking charge of the first team in 2018. He led them to Copa del Rey glory in 2019/20 and the quarter-finals of the Europa League twice. This season, his team finished first in a UEFA Champions League group that includes 2023 finalist Inter Milan.
Sport He previously stated that Barça’s sporting hierarchy believes that Imanol’s style of play would be perfect for the Catalans.
Rafa Marquez
Márquez has been coach of Barça’s second team, Atlético de Barcelona, since June 2022. It is the same initial step taken by former Barça coaches Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola, as well as Sergi Barjuan, who took interim charge. of the first team before Xavi’s appointment.
“If the opportunity presents itself, I’m not going to say no,” the 44-year-old former Mexico international said after Barça’s 2-1 victory in Fuenlabrada on January 27.
Márquez played 242 competitive games for Barça between 2003 and 2010, winning 12 trophies, including two UEFA Champions League titles. He played 37 games in all competitions and the Catalans won the treble in Guardiola’s first season in charge in 2008-09.
Thiago Motta
A product of Barça’s famous youth system, Thiago Motta spent six years in the senior team before highly successful spells with Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, where he retired in 2018.
The 41-year-old was appointed Bologna coach in 2022 and has implemented a style of play similar to Barca’s philosophy of possession-based attacking football. He previously coached Genoa and Spezia in Serie A, which gives him additional experience that Márquez does not yet have.
pep guardiola
It may seem fanciful, but the possibility of Guardiola returning to Barcelona at some point has always been anticipated.
“I could be training here [at Manchester City], but if Barcelona called me, I would go to Barcelona. “It’s my club,” he said on January 26 last year, generating excitement among Barça fans and concern among City fans in the process.
Those comments are gaining traction again following the news about Xavi, but do they reflect the City boss’ current feeling about returning to Catalonia? It seems like an impossible dream at this point: the one from Santpedor won the treble last season and is in a position to defend all those trophies. His contract with City also does not expire until 2025.
Jurgen Klopp
Klopp shocked the football world when he confirmed on January 26 that he would leave Liverpool at the end of 2023/24.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about this city, I love everything about our fans, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything,” he said.
“That I’m still making this decision probably shows you that I’m convinced it’s the one I have to make. It’s just that I’m… how can I say… I’m running out of energy.”
Although it seems unlikely given Klopp wants to take a year off, his promise not to manage another club in England means Barcelona can dream. The club’s president, Joan Laporta, can also do it, who has always wanted the German to take charge of the first team.
Julian Nagelsmann
“It is the only club that has no money but can still sign any player,” was the comment that Nagelsmann addressed to Barcelona in July 2022, when the Blaugrana signed Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, where Naglesmann was coach. .
However, that claim appears to have been relegated to the past, and the idea of the German succeeding Xavi is gaining popularity among fans.
Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern in 2023, will be in charge of the German team for Euro 2024 later this year, but his long-term future is unclear.
Roberto De Zerbi
The Italian De Zerbi has been a revelation in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion, a team that has revolutionized since his arrival in September 2022. With an attractive and offensive style – something that would fit perfectly into the Barça philosophy -, one of the greatest positive aspects that exist. It has been the Brescia-born coach’s ability to polish rough diamonds into genuine stars, which would be a huge asset for a club with a weakened financial situation.
Jose Mourinho
As of January 28, Mourinho was considered one of the favorites to become Barcelona’s next manager. Not really.
As implausible as it may seem for the general who waged war against the Camp Nou while he was coach of Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 (one of the most tempestuous periods of the El Clásico rivalry), his appointment would make some sense.
Mourinho’s affiliation with Barça dates back to his days working as a performer and assistant to Bobby Robson in the mid-90s. He then remained as assistant coach to Louis van Gaal before taking up his first senior job with Benfica 24 years ago.
Mourinho’s stock has fallen a bit in recent years, but he won the Europa Conference League with Roma and successfully united an often fractured fan base. When he was fired in January 2024, many did not want him to leave.
He could be a useful short-term appointment to get the best out of a Barca team that is mismatched with aging stars and promising youngsters while the club gets its house in order financially before looking for a long-term option.
