It has been a few months since Xavi Hernadez was let go as the manager of FC Barcelona and the transition to Hansi Flick has been seamless and exciting. The German coach has done a great job in his first few months at the club.
As good as Flick has been, one must not forget the foundations laid by Xavi during his time as the coach of the Catalan club. He has given the German coach a team with a strong base which Flick is looking to take to the next level.
Almost nine months since the incident happened, a sequence has emerged on the Barca One documentary as quoted by SPORT in which Xavi Hernandez is seen raising his voice in the dressing room at half-time of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against CA Osasuna.
At that point, the game was 0-0 with Barcelona lacking desire and saved by Inaki Pena’s heroics to enter the break without conceding a goal. Xavi was not happy with what he was seeing from the team and here is what he had to say:
“Guys, Madrid is waiting for us in the final. This is what it’s all about, eh? This is it, guys. It’s mobility. It’s ‘I want it now’. It’s ‘go at it again, go at it’. And he plays, damn it. We lack soul guys.”
The Spanish tactician continued on his rant, asking players to play quick, one-two-touch football to get into the opposition area. He said:
“It’s not about colliding. No, lads, it’s not about colliding. It’s about playing. In one or two touches, he goes, and I support him. We’re stopped. It’s the body language. ‘Give me the ball, he goes’. ‘Come on Gundo’, he goes, he jumps, come on, ‘he’s here alone’. Let’s all go out there at full speed.”
On that night, it seems like Xavi’s fiery half-time talk worked wonders as Barcelona ended the game with a 2-0 scoreline to advance to the finals which they eventually lost to Real Madrid. Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal were on the scoresheet on the night.
As good as Xavi was at Barcelona, especially in his first six months and the title-clinching campaign that followed, it felt like he had a glass ceiling. Hansi Flick has taken the same set of players and made them play an unbridled brand of football.
Xavi on the other hand will always be in the memory of Barcelona fans for all those memorable results, especially in his first 18 months at the club. He is a club legend and will always remain so and surely, he will be happy to see the team flourishing under Hansi Flick.
