Harry Watkinson
Comparing Xavi’s first 50 games at Barca with the last four long-term bosses.
Last November, legendary Barcelona player Xavi took the helm at Camp Nou, but with the Catalans looking likely to be out of the Champions League and with Madrid above them in the league, the former midfield maestro is under pressure.
Last November, legendary Barcelona player Xavi took the helm at Camp Nou, but with the Catalans looking likely to be out of the Champions League and with Madrid above them in the league, the former midfield maestro is under pressure.
This article compares the Spaniard’s managerial record with the club’s three previous bosses to reach 50 matches in charge: Ronald Koeman, Ernesto Valverde, Luis Enrique and Gerardo Martino.
The Barcelona icon still has time to turn it around, but will Xavi be the next Guardiola, or another Ronald Koeman?
Xavi Hernandez
On Sunday, Xavi oversaw his 50th match as Barca boss in a 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, putting them on the back foot in the title race. Additionally, four days prior, his side were held to a 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the Champions League, meaning they will likely be knocked out in the group stages for a second consecutive season.
Barca fans are frustrated, but they seem to be more patient with Xavi given his successful playing career with the club. Following the El Classico defeat, he said: “We have to be self-critical. We’re not doing well at all. We’re in a very bad dynamic and we must change it immediately. I feel bad and frustrated. We weren’t as aggressive as we should have been…
“I won’t ever blame the players. It won’t happen. I am the captain of this ship and I take responsibility.”
When Xavi took charge, Barcelona were in unprecedented financial turmoil. With the club reportedly over €1billion in debt, he had less than €10million to spend on strengthening Barcelona's squad in January, and still managed to guide them to a second-place finish last season.
Despite these ongoing issues, Xavi spent a combined £150million on Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski and brought in Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen in the summer window, thanks to some imaginative accounting. But have Barca’s results reflected the spending in Xavi’s first 50 games? So far, not really…
Games: 50
Won: 28
Drawn: 11
Lost: 11
Goals for: 94
Goals against: 52
Clean sheets: 18
Points per game: 1.9
Win rate: 56%
Loss rate: 22%
At the current rate of just 1.9 points per match, Barca will struggle to catch Real Madrid this season. With an early Champions League exit all but confirmed, you’d think without a league title, a Copa del Rey or Europa League trophy, Xavi’s time could be up at the end of the season. After all, for a monumental club like Barca, two seasons with zero trophies simply isn’t good enough. But how does the Spaniard fare in comparison with Barca’s last three bosses?
Ronald Koeman
Like Xavi, Ronald Koeman joined Barca as a legendary club figure, winning 10 major trophies with the Catalans as a player.
As manager, the Dutchman’s first 50 matches at the club were relatively successful in comparison to Xavi’s. He won 66% of his matches, considerably better than Xavi’s 56%, with a points-per-game average of 2.12.
Koeman also won a Copa del Rey in his first season with the club, which was Barcelona’s first trophy after a two-year drought. However, the Catalans' league performance was disappointing, finishing third despite having a number of opportunities to go top of the table in the final weeks of the 2020-21 season.
Games: 50
Won: 33
Drawn: 7
Lost: 10
Goals for: 116
Goals against: 52
Clean sheets: 18
Points per game: 2.12
Win rate: 66%
Loss rate: 20%
However, Koeman’s managerial legacy at Barcelona is considered to be one of failure after an abysmal start to the 2021-22 campaign, slumping to ninth place in the table. The Dutchman had also been under increasing pressure from the fanbase even before their drop in form and Barca President Joan Laporta had publicly stated he wanted him out of the club.
He was sacked in October last year and by that point Koeman was statistically the worst Barcelona manager since 2003, finishing with a points-per-game average of 1.96 from 67 matches in total.
Ironically, this is 0.06 better than Xavi’s current average, so you can see why the pressure is beginning to mount on the Spaniard. The clear difference, however, is that Barcelona are in a much better league position than they were at the end of Koeman’s tenure.
Ernesto Valverde
The last Barca boss to last who can be considered a definite ‘success’ was Ernesto Valverde, who managed the club from 2017 to 2020.
In his time at Camp Nou, Valverde lifted two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and a Spanish Super Cup.
In 2019, he also led Barca to their first Champions League semi-final in three years against Liverpool. Barcelona won the first leg at Camp Nou 3-0 but were then humiliated in a 4-0 thrashing at Anfield. Looking back, this resounding defeat was the beginning of Valverde’s downfall.
However, Valverde’s record domestically was undeniably impressive, and this is reflected in his first 50 matches as manager:
Games: 50
Won: 36
Drawn: 11
Lost: 3
Goals for: 117
Goals against: 26
Clean sheets: 30
Points per game: 2.38
Win rate: 72%
Loss rate: 6%
In comparison to Xavi’s record, we can see that Barca were a different force at the beginning of Valverde’s tenure, losing just 6% of his first 50 matches. They also scored a LOT more, netting 117 times compared to Xavi’s 94.
Given these stats, it’s unsurprising that in Valverde’s first season Barca lifted the La Liga title with ease, finishing 14 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Admittedly, Valverde did have the benefit of having Lionel Messi in tremendous form at the time, as well as Luis Suarez and an ageing Andreas Iniesta among his ranks… something which Xavi does not have at his disposal.
However, these are the kinds of numbers Barcelona supporters have become accustomed to and Xavi must improve quickly if he wants to get anywhere near the success Valverde achieved.
Luis Enrique
Certainly the most successful manager on this list, Luis Enrique managed Barcelona from 2014 to 2017 and literally won everything during his time at the club.
With one Champions League victory in 2015, two league titles, three Copa del Rey’s, a Spanish and European Super Cup as well as a Club World Cup, Enrique is Barcelona’s second-most honoured manager of the 21st century, behind only Pep Guardiola.
Admittedly, he inherited one of the best squads in football history, with the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez all playing at their peaks, but his tactical awareness and passion on the touchline made him very well-respected by the Barca players and fans.
Games: 50
Won: 42
Drawn: 3
Lost: 5
Goals for: 144
Goals against: 29
Clean sheets: 26
Points per game: 2.58
Win rate: 84%
Loss rate: 10%
Interestingly, Enrique’s record in his first 50 matches in charge was not as good as Ernesto Valverde’s, losing 10% of these games. Still, the Spanish coach managed to win back-to-back league titles in his first two campaigns, missing out on a third by just three points in the 2016-17 season.
With an astounding point-per-game average of 2.58 compared to Xavi’s current 1.9, Barca really are a shadow of their former selves this season.
However, you must give Xavi some credit. Amid Barca’s financial struggles, unparalleled supporter volatility and the absence of Lionel Messi (who, let's face it, was a massive reason for Barca’s success until his departure in 2021), he has united the fan base and (unlike Ronald Koeman) generally takes responsibility when things go wrong. Barcelona fans seem to have accepted that they are in a transitional period, but with the fickleness of football fans, this patience is likely to wear thin sooner rather than later.
Xavi’s success as a player will definitely buy him some extra time that others wouldn’t get, but if he doesn’t start turning things around now, domestically and in Europe, the pressure on him will only increase.
Gerardo Martino
Games: 50
Won: 37
Drawn: 8
Lost: 5
Goals for: 135
Goals against: 38
Clean sheets: 24
Points per game: 2.32
Win rate: 74%
Loss rate: 10%
Martino is not remembered fondly by Barcelona supporters despite a record that looks somewhat respectable compared to some of his successors - a sign of how expectations have changed at the Camp Nou.
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