Xavi Hernandez’s announcement of his departure from FC Barcelona at the end of the season has left the question of who will replace him on the bench completely open.
Recent reports from the club and Laporta’s own comments to the media make it clear that the President’s first priority is to convince Xavi to take his decision back and keep working as the head coach of the team beyond this season.
However, Xavi is yet to make a decision, and several conditions will have to be met if he is to be convinced to take back his word. In such a context, Barcelona will have to keep its options open and keep working to find a suitable candidate if Xavi decides to leave ultimately.
According to SPORT, one of the candidates who is likely to replace Xavi as the Barcelona head coach is the current Barcelona Atletic manager, Rafa Marquez. The publication has outlined seven reasons why Laporta considers him to be a good candidate to replace Xavi at Barcelona.
Laporta’s history with inexperienced coaches
The fact that Marquez has not coached at the highest level can go against him as there are other highly experienced coaches also linked with the Catalan club. However, Laporta’s history with Barcelona shows that he has a good eye for inexperienced coaches.
He appointed Pep Guardiola, who had only coached the subsidiary before taking on the first-team job, and saw him assemble one of the best teams in the world.
Similarly, he had also appointed Frank Rijkaard before him, who won the Champions League with Barcelona, but had coached only Sparta Rotterdam and served as an assistant in the Netherlands national team.
Laporta repeated this trend as he appointed Xavi Hernandez, who had only coached Al-Sadd in Qatar, before taking the Barcelona job. Thus, one can be highly optimistic that if Laporta chooses Rafa Marquez, he will turn out to be a success for Barcelona.
Influence of Jorge Mendes
Jorge Mendes is one of the most trusted agents of Joan Laporta, and he has a lot of influence in the Barcelona dressing room as he manages the files of the likes of Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Ansu Fati, etc.
Rafa Marquez is also represented by the Portuguese super-agent, which can go in his favor when Laporta makes a decision in this regard.
Furthermore, both Mendes and Marquez also have a very good relationship with Deco, and this can also be decisive as Marquez and Deco will have to work together to make a good team if the former is actually appointed as the head coach.
Laporta-Marquez relationship
Joan Laporta has a very good relationship with Marquez, and this association goes back several years as it was the current President’s first tenure in Barcelona when he brought Marquez as a player, being one of his first signings in 2003.
After proving himself as a highly decorated defender along with Carles Puyol, he remained involved in the club and supported Laporta as he ran for the last presidential elections. After getting elected, Laporta appointed Marquez as the Barcelona Atletic head coach.
Barcelona style of play
During his time as a player, Marquez was able to absorb the traditional Barcelona style in his game while training under Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola. Now, as a coach, he remains faithful to the same philosophy, and almost always uses the 4-3-3 formation.
His play style also has other traditional Barcelona characteristics of positional play, speedy wings, and an attacking outlook in general. Laporta is very satisfied with Marquez’s work with the youth team.
Opportunities for youth
As has been the case with Xavi, who has never shied away from using Barcelona Atletic players, Rafa Marquez has also given several Juvenil A players the chance to play with his team. He not only gave chances to the likes of Pau Cubarsi, Hector Fort, and Marc Guiu, but has also used other Juvenil A players like Marc Bernal, Noah Darvich, Pau Prim, etc.
Progress with Barcelona Atletic
The Barcelona Ateltic team has clearly taken a step forward with Rafa Marquez at the helm, after an underwhelming first season, the team has shown very encouraging signs of progress. The team is currently placed second in Primera Federacion, only one point behind the leaders Deportivo de la Coruna.
The fact that the team has obtained such good results despite the problems of injuries, first-team call-ups, and national team call-ups, makes Marquez’s achievements even more praiseworthy.
Leadership without drama
Rafa Marquez has a leadership style with which he commands a lot of respect in the club and the locker room, without him having to make a lot of fuss. He showed this characteristic also as a player on the pitch, and as a coach, he also tries to keep his players involved by consulting them while making important decisions.
Owing to all these factors, Rafa Marquez remains one of the candidates to replace Xavi on the Barcelona bench, but there is still some time to go before the club makes a decision, and nothing is certain for now.
