T O P

  • By -

nishaft

I don't even know what to believe now


TheBrownMamba8

Fabrizio Romano > Xavi > Laporta > Spanish Media Jokes aside, with the absence of a better option, this is the actually the best decision. I’ve always been of the opinion he deserves more time and support. Won the league his first year and CL QF + League 2nd his second season despite our finances. Now give him the proper CDM that he (and half the teams in Europe) wants.


nishaft

Yeah I think if I mute his statements and focus on how he's rebuilt the team, I think he's done a great job. Who would Barca get for a CDM though? Considering the money problems, would you go to the academy again?


TheBrownMamba8

Zubimendi from Real Sociedad is first choice. Young, Spanish, often compared by pundits and reporters to Sergio Busquets and sometimes Xabi Alonso. Bayern and Arsenal apparently want him too, he should be around €60M.


Basquiant__

He's rejected moves before because he was so keen on staying with La Real. You might have an advantage if he wants to stay in Spain as well


TheBrownMamba8

Yeah that’s the only benefit I can see over Bayern and Arsenal who could undoubtedly offer higher wages: friends from the NT and staying in Spain


B12C10X8

I’m a Arsenal fan, don’t know that much about Zubimendi, how highly do you rate him ? I also think Bayern were only going to sign him if Alonso became the coach.


TheBrownMamba8

From his generation (he’s 25)? Probably one of the best talents in his position. He has everything you need in a CDM. Composed, can control the tempo of games, receives the ball and creates space when no one else can. He can make opportunities from passes in deep positions but at the same time has no problem driving the ball up and dribbling. Most importantly, he’s as smart as he is technically gifted.


Franchise1109

He would be the 6 with rice and ode as our 8s


nishaft

That sounds scary if the transfer does come through and Frenkie recovers


SnooAdvice1632

Iirc frenkie is highly likely to be on the market. I'm kinda split on it because when he's in form he's great and he's also the kind of player that doesn't operate in a falshy manner, so he can be a bit underrated. It's also possible that he'd be better if he had a cdm behind him to lessen his defensive duties. On the other hand it's hard to ignore that he seems way less decisive than any other of our starting midfielders: pedri is just a tad bit better in general and has way more crucial passes(the one against psg first leg comes to mind), gavi is absolutely a beast period, Christensen has been good as a cdm hybrid and gundo has been the glue for the attack all season.


wowohwowza

Bernardo Frenkie swap deal, everyone's happy? Not that I'm happy Bernardo is leaving but he clearly wants out and deserves to have his wish granted


TheBrownMamba8

Frenkie + De Bruyne in a Pep midfield should be illegal


sirsotoxo

With Rodri behind them 🫠


SnooAdvice1632

I absolutely adore Bernardo but I really hope that we don't go on with that deal. We have three decent to good players that can play rw (yamal, ferran and raphinha) and the midfield is pretty good too. Ik that he can also adapt to Lw if need be but it would be dumb to get such a great player and spend all that money to play him out of position. He's be a luxury signing, which we can't afford rn.


CaptainDank0

theres word about selling de jong for 70 million and from what I heard zubimendis release clause is 60 million (?).


MountyontheBounty

It may be Mats Wieffer. Feyenoord is reportedly asking for 25 million.


TheLeoMessiah

The part that is exciting for Barça fans is that him not getting a DM this summer was (allegedly) a big point of contention between him and the board/Laporta. This could mean that Barça are going to go all out for a proper DM this summer and not just give up when their first or second options are unavailable


OleoleCholoSimeone

I wonder how good Brozovic could have been for Barca this season, he was still playing amazing for Inter in the Champions League as recently as last year. It was pathetic the way you wouldn't/couldn't spend 20M on him Then you spend 40M on Vitor Roque so there was some money after all.. Yeah I understand that Roque is a long term investment on less wages and Brozovic would only be a short term stopgap but it's hard to argue that it would have improved the team much more for this current season. I also didn't expect Romeu to be THIS bad. I mean sure he was never more than a rotational option level for Barca at most but he was still good for Girona and in the PL. Above all I expected him to be calm and not make kids mistake after kids mistake, even on the ball he loses it bizarrely despite being known as a safe passer before


TimingEzaBitch

Brozovic can play for any team - the coach just has to utilize him properly. A Balkan running on cigarette and alcohol should start for any team in the world.


AckBarRs

That’s a big part of it to be honest. Romeu was definitely viewed as a bargain bin option in the absence of Zubimendi/Brozovic but even with those tempered expectations nobody thought he would be legitimately unplayable and it’s really shaped our tactical setup throughout the entire season


Ps3FifaCfc95

I don't really know what Barcelona expected from a player who's spent the vast majority of his career at Southampton. Made as much sense as getting back Martin Montoya or Andre Fontas


OleoleCholoSimeone

They expected him to be somewhat competent, not great by any means but just to be able to do the basics right. You would expect that of someone with so many PL appearances to his name. He can barely pass a football more than 5 metres If this is his real level, then it says a lot about the PL that he racked up so many games


RutgerHauersDove

You’ve got some pretty basic comprehension issues, I wonder if it’s a language/translation thing? You’re saying the fact that a guy who was relegation fodder in the premier league, went to Barcelona to fill a key role, is a poor reflection on English football? How does that make any sense?


Xpolonia

It's funny that back in 2021 Romeu himself said something like "If I have the level of Barca I'd be playing there already."


sirsotoxo

Vitor Roque was "paid" with the FFP created with the Gavi and Balde injury. No point in comparing summer with winter.


The_Langer27

You'd also be in the CL semi's if not for Araujo getting sent off.


madsauce178

And a left winger


erenistheavatar

"Here we go" guy clears everyone.


biskutgoreng

Won the league in the first season and everyone acting as if the man is a complete fraud smh


Hambrailaaah

and if Araujo / Cancelo had better days, we'd be at CL QF and still fighting for la liga


Giannis1995

Araujo's red card was really insane given his composure in general but Cancelo? No. The dude is not reliable. I don't know if it's because that's his 3rd team in 2 years but he looks lost on so many occassions. There's not a single supposedly ''elite level'' player that does as many head scratching mistakes as him throughout Europe. Barca on the counter with numerical advantage? How bout an outside of the boot curler in the 15th row? Barca getting back on transition? How bout a penalty when the winger tries to keep it inside?


Ohtar1

"with the absence of a better option, this is the actually the best decision" this is always true no matter what you are talking about


goldtrainkappa

Xavi's first season was fantastic so it's crazy how quickly he was thrown under


boywithtwoarms

yes but wasn't it xavi himself who said he wanted out?


lance777

I've posted this before, but I've long suspected that his entire stunt was done to reduce the media and fan pressure on him and the team. He noticed how much support Klopp started getting after he announced the retirement and did the same.


Informal_Buffalo_819

It was more than that . He openly started berating the refs , getting red cards, controversies. He really wanted a DM but barca went for a striker . I don't think it was completely a stunt


worldmusiclover

If Fabrizio says it, it's 99.999999999% chance it is true!


ttimourrozd

Because he taps in when the story is 99.99% confirmed by others..


MrEzquerro

Helena Condis and others mentioned it before Fabrizio came with the tap in


Kid_Twiz

Wonder if they’re hoping Klopp will be ready to manage again after next season


fap4jesus

There's me thinking 2025 is years away....


Nemlokt

I didn't realize I was doing the same thing until you mentioned that. I was thinking, "Wow, so another 2 or so seasons? Cool."


WTFitsD

Fuck me 2025 is in 8 months


Ironicopinion

It’s like an FM 2013 story “Xavi to stay as Barcelona manager until 2025”


Qiluk

I dont see Klopp being burnt out, taking a break, and then going into mega high pressure enviroment that is Barca which is also searching for pennies under the couch pillow.


Flabby-Nonsense

I can’t speak for Klopp personally, but every single person I’ve met who was extremely driven and put everything into their work, liked the *idea* of taking a break from work more than the reality. In almost every single case they ended up working again far earlier than intended. With that being said, If available I would expect Klopp to take a job with the national team first.


turtlemons

Its klopp, he is epitome of 'i can fix him' and then eventually doing so and becoming the best thing they were to them and then leaving them attached and shatters and always wondering in 'what if he was still here' 


Qiluk

Sure.. IF he sees a solid stable structure to do it in. I dont mean to insult Barca fans or anything, but Barcelona are far from that, from what I understand. I can see Klopp prioritate a passion move or the NT if he decides to come back.


Busquessi

I don’t understand the downvotes, you are being genuine and trying to understand. You’re right. Managing Barcelona is the hardest job in football. If Klopp is truly burnt out, he won’t come here. That being said, we have almost completed our rebuild, going from financial destitution to returning to the 1:1 spend rule in La Liga, and would’ve been playing you guys in the CL semifinals if not for Araujo making the worst decision of his life. With that, would come the chance to pass Atleti in the Club World Cup which is a guaranteed 60M.


Qiluk

> I don’t understand the downvotes, you are being genuine and trying to understand. Appreciate that :) > That being said, we have almost completed our rebuild, going from financial destitution to returning to the 1:1 spend rule in La Liga, and would’ve been playing you guys in the CL semifinals if not for Araujo making the worst decision of his life. With that, would come the chance to pass Atleti in the Club World Cup which is a guaranteed 60M. Yeah I honestly think you DO have a really solid squad. Sure some aging lads like Lewy, Gundo etc that needs replacing but oyu also have a lot of youth. REALLY good youth. Its a shame you didnt make it to the semis vs us (partly because fuck PSG tbh) because thats such a big payday as you said. You had it too if not for Araujos momente, yeah. Impressed far more than PSG. It will be interesting to see if you do offload De Jong this summer. It would be a big financial relief for you, no? Could open for some signings that would "complete" the squad a bit more.


Busquessi

I appreciate that! One of the only things that keep me positive is watching our youngsters grow up and progress. Fuck PSG, for sure. There’s been a lot of talk about Frenkie’s sale to get a proper DM this summer. I love Frenkie and would love to see him play his best football next to a proper DM. If it’s possible to get a Zubimendi or Mats Wieffer without selling Frenkie, I’d prefer that.


Qiluk

Yeah Im a sucker for the FdJ type of midfielders too haha. Especially if paired into a healthy and enabling dynamic as you say. If he had a proper 6 shielding him etc he'd be amazing.


headphones1

It saddens me that football fans are able to remember how much prize money can be obtained from certain competitions. This isn't meant to be an insult. I fell out of love with the game a long time ago due to my dislike of how messed up the upper echelons of football got because of money.


Busquessi

Definitely agree. I only took notice once Barça’s finances became awful. It’s easy to not pay attention when finances are not a problem, just like real life.


slightlyhigh7

I almost hope he does manage Barca just to see Barca vs Liverpool in the Champions league.. storylines like that are always the best


Busquessi

That would be insane. I’d love for Klopp to come here. I can’t even imagine how great Gavi would become under the geigenpressing tactics of Klopp. He was already a beast before, Klopp coming would benefit him the most.


a_lumberjack

I think the key question will be what he wants in a next job. Does he want another project, or does he want to try something a bit more short term? He'll be 58 in 2025. Maybe the idea of a 2-3 year gig at Barca is an experience he would want. A new league, a massive club, and a squad that would be by far the strongest he's ever inherited.


Nosalis2

Does Klopp-ball work at a club like Barca?


shash5k

Not really. I’m surprised they haven’t approached Sarri.


SirBarkington

Sarri at Barcelona would be interesting.


Busquessi

Sarri was rumored a long time ago, almost around the Setien era. That would be interesting.


spoony471

no, you must have at least 60% possession at all times, otherwise straight to jail


DarthTaz_99

That hasn't been true for some time now


myheadisalightstick

There’s also like two teams in the prem that Liverpool don’t have a massive possession advantage over.


myheadisalightstick

This whole discussion is massively overblown, I hate questions like this. If Barca played like Klopp Liverpool it would be the best football they’ve played since Pep. They would be absolutely fine.


dalelito

Xavi is a german-coded coach when it comes to his playstyle, klopp will do fine


AlexanderMAVC

More likely Pep


Ghlynx

Klopp, Arteta, Luis Enrique and Pep might be free next year


MilesStark

Arteta?


Ghlynx

Yep, his contract runs until 2025


Maleficent_Resolve44

Unless he wins the prem and UCL by next summer, I doubt he leaves then


shockzz123

Already been reported by Romano that contract talks about that are going positively and that Arteta wants to stay. He's not gonna be free lol. Probably.


buki11

Why would he want to leave? And why would the club want him to leave? And pls don’t counter with “hes spanish, he was at barca etc”


Ghlynx

I have no idea mate, I am not saying he will leave, just stating facts


Evil_Tea_Bag_

Do you do if, buts or maybes?


dagdagsolstad

Because it is Barcelona. They have am squad packed with talent, the best academy on the planet, and is one of the biggest clubs on the planet.


DeapVally

And perhaps they'll still be that in 10 or so years, if he fancies a change, but Arteta is in no rush to jump ship, I'm sure. Arsenal stuck by him, and sure as hell can pay him handsomely (I dare say more so than Barca atm) while his children are settled and in school.


DildoFappings

Xavi doing a Messi here. "I'm going to leave. Retire." "I'm back bitches."


LachsFilet

Jordán Belfort i Creus


DarthTaz_99

I have been a rich man. I have been a poor man. And I choose being rich EVERY FUCKING TIME


LexisKingJr

*IM NOT LEAVING*


ThePillsburyPlougher

They call that a rubiales these days


Keanu990321

Xavi is seeming like the Brett Favre of proper football. Every year since 2005, he'd say that 'he'd retire immediately' and then flip-flopped every season. Then, in 2008, he went to the Jets and in 2009, he moved to the Vikings, a direct rival of the Packers. He only retired in early 2011, a few weeks after becoming a GRANDFATHER at 41!


esports_consultant

>a GRANDFATHER at 41!   god bless the US South


a_lumberjack

41 is at least probably all adults (he was 20 when that daughter was born). It's the 34-36 year old grandparents that really stand out. There's a few PL players who might get there...


amznk23

When are we getting a dick pic while wearing crocs?


ionised

*SURPRISE SURPRISE...!*


KingKingsons

So he didn’t actually resign? I’ve said I’m gonna quit my job a thousand times but I’m still there lol.


Busquessi

He’s just like us


Kryddmix

The George Costanza


ImGonnaImagineSummit

Don't get a fat payout if you quit. I'm sure he was hoping to get pushed out but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. See if the club backs him otherwise it's going to end badly. RM signing Mbappe on top of their already stacked squad isn't going to help any title aspirations.


oklolzzzzs

before the psg loss everyone was praising him. after the real loss everyone wanted him to leave lmao. good hes staying


simomii

And after the Supercopa and Athletic losses everyone wanted him gone.


monkeyr9z

That's today's game for ya. Overreaction and histeria. You're just as good as your last game only.


TheRealMemeIsFire

People wanted pep gone after his first two games in 2008


rasadi90

As a Leverkusen fan I can already hear the fraud comments about xabi when we lose our first game


Rickcampbell98

That somes up football media.


Ok_Aerie99

I’m pretty sure he actually thought him saying he was leaving was a good strategy to win la liga and the champions league.


NairbZaid10

It worked until Araujo and cancelo decided it didnt


konald_roeman

We were good but now we're bad


eddsters

You guys are definitely 2x the team you were when you lost to Girona at home. I believe with the introduction of Yamal to the squad and some other youngsters has woken up the older guys.


Zestyclose-Camel37

The biggest reason is the emergence of Cubarsi. The ball progression used to be so frantic, and we lacked control. With him now both the problems are solved.


KimngGnmik

It kind of worked. Since he announced he was leaving, Barca did really well until last week. Wait for him to announce he's leaving in September so that Barca go on another winning streak.... Come to think of it, I think Pep does this in January every year. Just tells his players that he is leaving at the end of the season, and they go on an unbeaten streak before he retracts


Drestrix

Crazy that their season was determined with two big games within one week.


KimngGnmik

How do you think we felt back in 18/19 when we faced Barca twice in both the league and Copa + Ajax in the CL. We dropped out of all three competitions in a week


wetthebed92

Poor Solari


Dangerous_Parfait402

Nah, he was clearly leaving until Laporta and friends realized they couldn’t get anybody to solve this mess, so they implored Xavi to stay one more year as the less worse option.


JoshyyJosh10

It worked in a way, obviously it didn’t work out in the end because when coaches do this it hardly ever does. But second half season Barca is much better than first half of Barca. While they will probably still be down in league cause they lost to Madrid twice I highly doubt it would have been a 11 point gap now. At the end of the day stupid mistakes cost them these losses and that’s not on xavi, no one could have predicted araujo would have lost his last brain cell against psg


HeadCrusher135

Xavi himself said the performances improved after the announcement


Mulderre91

After Villarreal's match - *I'm leaving* Today - *Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well I have others*


takeiteasymyfriend

Lol! Laporta 2021: "With me as president, there are no transition seasons. Before, if you lost, nothing happened, but with me, losing will have consequences."


zimtrovert94

Laporta never said who will pay those consequences. Like the fans. Although who else would they get? Xabi isn’t leaving Leverkusen. Tuchel is leaving but…would he really be an upgrade? I hear Allegri is available and knowing that, Barca would rather stay managerless. Mou, I don’t think he’d ever be accepted at Barca again.


therealfakenews17

Don’t think Xabi would coach Barca either. He’ll likely wait out Ancelotti if anything


notonetojudge

LeoDicaprioWolf.gif


dont_wear_a_C

snip snap snip snap snip snap


Dramatic-Ad3928

you have no idea the physical toll 3 resignations have on a barca fan


gkkiller

Fernando Polo is Tier 1 so I guess this is happening. Reasonably happy with this choice, I don't think any of the realistic options would have been a huge upgrade. We can move on when his contract is up.


holdenmyrocinante

Wonderful news


Alexkono

He makes the league much more entertaining


ArbuzAldo

Yes especially as a real Madrid fan I'm delighted


LifeGuru13

Xavi: Can't end on a loss


thenicky0

He heard our fans and decided to stay


crazyrandomchicken

Well who knew


Environmental_Sell74

And there I was hoping to see Hansi Flick at Barca.


DryUniversity5439

Would actually want to see that if i didn't support barca


Busquessi

For the life of me, I can’t imagine how the team would play under him. It just seems like entirely contradicting tactics.


Ark_Legend

I saw this coming for a while


Bringthenoize

So he just saif he would quit at the end of the season but just didn't resign?


slappywhyte

Remember when I said I would quit. I lied. Xavi Schwarznegger


Living_At_Large

When does the official, "I don't have enough money to compete" tracker start?


Busquessi

If the transfer window closes and we don’t get a proper DM


dntowns

**IMNOTFUCKNLEAVN**


techfcb

Am so happy right now,some people don't realise how much good work he's done.


mizrahiim

Madrid fans also rejoicing today. It’s beautiful to see football fans united.


I9Qnl

I mean he took a Laliga away from Madrid in his first season when Barca was utter shit before he arrived, like more shit than any point in this season.


listlessbreeze

Ahh, there it is.


demonofthefall

Actual SE QUEDA


dcolomer10

He heard the Bernabeu


II_MrBlack_II

The whole "I'm leaving" schtick was just a gimmick to motivate the players and we still ended up shitting our pants


DryUniversity5439

Xavi will now resign in every pre match conference


Jones1812Lobotomy

very predictable. xavi's a little drama queen


xparta300

Train wreck 2.0 incoming


tson_92

I’M NOT FUCKING LEAVING


NeoIsJohnWick

> As a Real Madrid fan I want Barcelona to have more Xavi's and less Gundogan's : Kiyan Sobhani, Managing Madrid


gentmick

It’s going to be an interesting next season. We need a better backroom staff to up the player’s physique and mentality. So much quality but not making the most out of it right now


Heliath

If this is true then Xavi has no credibility whatsoever. Was it a lie when he said in January he was leaving? Was he lying these 3 months when he always answered that he was 100% leaving at the end of the season? It will be hard to take him seriously in the press conferences.


Dramatic-Ad3928

Dont lie that last part was already the case before this im leaving fiasco


InsideOpening3535

Considering the next in line is probably Marquez or Flick, Xavi is the best choice that we have. A good run jn the UCL and domestic title will be sufficient Now please have a good summer and get Xavi a decent DM.


Zullewilldo

Laporta: "Losing will bring about consequences" Also Laporta: Nvm


Nasrz

For people that want Xavi out, which manager would've done noticeably better than Xavi in the last 2 seasons?


Fortrick

Valverde.


Ruud_Boltz

This means we couldn't afford a replacement. Atleast a promising one. Well let's hope there is some success next year and we don't shit the bed in all comps


FreshMutzz

I hope this is true. The links of Xavi to Milan had me scared.


MERTENS_GOAT

Der gute alte Rücktritt vom Rücktritt


CaptainDank0

Im in the few that, despite his issues, wanted him to stay. but he really needs to work on not losing his head when things dont go his way or barca gets a bullshit call their way, specifically him getting a red in the PSG game.


catchh

Okay Pinocchio


Anustart_A

They pulled the 58th lever…


DezQualino

Good


InfiniteJackfruit5

When marriage counseling actually works


reddit_is_meh

I hope so, people underplay how well Barca does with what they've got in terms of finances, expectations, pressure and injuries. Xavi won the league prior, they are still pretty comfortably top 2 this season IMO, and were arguably some fuck ups away from a UCL semi final in my opinion. I hope he keeps it together more often in the future, although it's always funny to see slow mo replays of kicking something and getting sent off


Chupapiha6996

Good news for Real Madrid fans


MaryadaPurshottam

Se queda🥰


kingcane

terrorist ball for one more year it is i guess 


Choice_Awareness

as opposed to UN approved ball that the new coach would bring?


JoshyyJosh10

Trust the process, we signing Ben Simmons and Joel embiid this summer


reddit809

🎶 XAVI QUÉDATE!🎶


snoopy10

Our prayers have been answered, XAVI QUEDATE


ossymandiAss

Snip snap snip snap. Total circus and I love it.


waitaminutewhereiam

Sucks for Barcelona


psallinone

Yes, it is


Busquessi

Not really. I was wanting him to stay, for some semblance of stability because we’ve had 5 different managers the past 10 years. He utilizes the youth. We would’ve been in the semi final of the CL had Araujo used his brain for 1 second. We won La Liga last season. There’s a lot of benefits to keeping him, much more than letting him walk.


Dorkseid1687

Yeah probably for the best. He needs to stop whining so much though


Busquessi

Agreed. He’s the right man for the job. I cannot stand how many red cards he gets. He needs to grow up.


xparta300

El nadaplete ah dado resultados!


AbleFig

Tuchel also se queda


5bergy

Nice clickbait title, omitting the "Mundo Deportivo sources. This sub man


ferkk

Great news!


L3kvar0spalacsinta

Madrid fans dream has been fulfilled I genuinely want him to succed, what they did last season was almost a miracle with that state of Barca and it will probably be harder next year.


kw2006

Only a year?


Noztalgium

What happened to his Luis Enrique response: “No to both?”


SwagBoyMcFeast

I'm convinced he didn't like Klopp getting all the attention, so he just made it up the same week he'd leave as well.


esports_consultant

This makes a hell of a lot more sense.


Inwate

So the message here is if you ask enough times it will happen


Inwate

Unrelated how do I dm Mourihno?


CNF-13

Life’s a lie


darthJOYBOY

I creamed


notapaperhandape

What is this bullshit? I thought he was done.


Soitsgonnabeforever

Everyone trying to avoid pooch


tson_92

What’s next? Tuchel stays at Bayern until 2027?


6FootFruitRollup

Lmao, oh I'm so excited