FC Barcelona’s treatment of Xavi over the last few months has been bizarre, even embarrassing. The former captain and club legend announced he would quit his post at the end of the season, only for the president and board to practically beg him to reconsider. After he said he would stay, the club changed their minds again, pushing for him to leave.
Not only that, but the club made a lot of moves, including having a meeting with his successor, without telling Xavi directly. It was a disrespectful and shambolic way of conducting business.
However, no matter how absurd the whole situation got, the replacement is a serious coach who deserves to be given a chance.
There were other potential choices out there, and who knows which one in the end would have been optimal. But now that Hansi Flick is going to coach Barcelona, there’s every chance that he could go down as a success.
Flick is an experienced and accomplished manager, and reports have made it clear he’s passionate about coaching the Catalan giants. He’s stood by, leaving himself open to be picked up by Barcelona as they went through the strange will-Xavi-continue-or-not dance.
Flick’s last coaching job as part of the German national team was a disappointment, to put it mildly, crashing out at the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
But his job at Bayern Munich was legendary, winning the treble in his first season and many coach of the year awards. His second season was not as strong, as Bayern were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, but he still won four other trophies.
Flick will implement a different style and perhaps a different formation, and a lot of the squad planning for next season will change, too. A lot of the transfers Barcelona had in mind for this window were based on Xavi’s requests, and that will surely change.
The German manager brings a new perspective to a team that’s famous for promoting one philosophy for many, many years. Sometimes an outsider can spot flaws that were in institutional blindspots. And Xavi was perhaps the ultimate insider. Flick is one of the most accomplished managers at the time of signing that Barça has picked for a long time.
Since 1997, Barcelona has appointed 15 managers including interim managers, and only two of them have not been either Spanish or Dutch: Radomir Antić and Gerardo “Tata” Martino. Antić was appointed midway through a season and left before the next one started. Martino only managed for one season, too.
There are no guarantees that Flick’s reign will be a success but he is not to blame for how his appointment came to be. He deserves a fresh start and the trust of the fans.
