The club legend has announced that he will step down at the end of the season but who is the right man to replace him?
"The feeling of being Barcelona coach is cruel, unpleasant, it feels like people lack respect for you a lot of the time," Xavi told reporters after seeing his team suffer a 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal on Saturday. "It's terrible on a mental health level, your morale… to the point where you think there is no sense in continuing."
Nine months is a very short time in the football world. It feels like just yesterday that Xavi was parading the 2022-23 La Liga trophy at Camp Nou, with Barca finishing 10 points clear of Real Madrid to land their first title in four years, having also beaten their eternal rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Xavi seemed to be building something amid the off-field financial woes that have long cast a shadow of uncertainty over the club, albeit while favouring a defensive approach a million miles away from the fluid, attack-minded one that saw him enjoy so much success as a player. But this season, Barca have gone back to leaking goals for fun, and their forward line is all over the place.
Barca were 3-2 up after 71 minutes against Villarreal, but walked away empty handed after a shocking late capitulation. That result leaves Xavi's side 10 points behind Real and 11 adrift of surprise package Girona – who have played a game more.
Madrid also gained revenge over Barca in the Supercopa with a 4-1 masterclass in Saudi Arabia, and the Blaugrana were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club at the quarter-final stage. Barca do still have the Champions League knockouts to look forward to, but they don't have the tools to win it, as Xavi himself seems to already realise.
"I have the feeling that I am doing the right thing, that I am acting with common sense," he added after revealing he will resign from his post this summer. "I think the club needs a change of dynamics, the dynamic is very negative."
The question is: who is the right man to change that dynamic? GOAL is here to run down the nine contenders for Xavi's job, starting with another former Barcelona midfielder…
Getty ImagesThiago Motta
Like Xavi, Motta has a long-standing history at Camp Nou, having initially joined the club as a 17-year-old way back in 1999. Unfortunately, the former Italy international was plagued by injuries during his eight-year stay with Barca, but he still picked up Champions League and La Liga winners' medals, and is fondly remembered by supporters.
Since retiring in 2018 after a stint at Paris Saint-Germain, Motta has carved out an even more impressive reputation as a coach, working at Genoa and Spezia before stepping up to take the top job at Bologna in September 2022. He's since transformed the team into top-four contenders in Serie A, winning admirers across Europe with his progressive, intense style of play.
It has been reported that Motta is still very close with former Barca team-mate Deco, who just so happens to be the club's current sporting director, and he didn't rule out a return to Catalonia when facing the media at the weekend. Motta might not be the most glamorous choice, but it would be fascinating to see him work with a top-quality group of players after overachieving at Bologna.
AdvertisementGettyHansi Flick
According to , Barcelona president Joan Laporta sees Flick as the ideal man to take over, despite the former Bayern Munich manager's ill-fated stint in charge of Germany.
Flick became the first man to ever be sacked by the national team, after winning just 12 of his 25 matches at the helm, but he inherited a squad in disarray from Joachim Low in 2021, and was always facing an uphill battle. In hindsight, the 58-year-old may now regret his initial departure from Bayern, where he delivered seven trophies in less than two years.
Laporta is "pushing" to bring in Flick because he remains one of the best in the business. His version of Bayern were a ruthless, pressing machine, and he is exactly the kind of assured, no-nonsense figure Barca need to get back on track next season.
GettyMikel Arteta
Arteta may only have one FA Cup to show for his four-year tenure at Arsenal, but he deserves great credit for making them title contenders again, and boasts many of the same coaching qualities as his former mentor Pep Guardiola. The Spanish tactician is still under contract with the Gunners until 2025, but Diario Sport have claimed he is considering stepping down at the end of the season, depending on whether he feels the team is still progressing.
Arsenal have come out to rubbish the suggestion, but Arteta might just be tempted by a new challenge in his homeland amid reports he is on Deco's three-man shortlist to succeed Xavi. Arteta graduated from Barca's famed academy as a teenager, and La Masaia's core values remain ingrained in him.
It would be a huge shock to see Arteta turn his back on Arsenal so soon, especially given the fact he would be pretty much starting from scratch again with the current Barca squad, but a change of scenery could be on the cards if he fails to bring silverware to the Emirates Stadium again this season.
(C)Getty imagesJose Mourinho
Mourinho is a free agent once again after seeing his third season curse continue at Roma, who had little choice but to part ways with the Portuguese after slipping to ninth in the Serie A table. Still, he guided the Giallorossi to their first European trophy since 1961 after creating a siege mentality at Stadio Olimpico, and most supporters loved him for it.
Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid took Mourinho into their hearts for similar reasons, and he is certainly capable of scaring Barca's band of underperforming stars back into action. However, there is very little chance of Culers being behind any move for the 61-year-old, who was accused of "promoting hatred" between Los Blancos and Barca players during his time at the helm between 2010 and 2013.
The Blaugrana would surely only consider Mourinho if they had no other choice. That being said, stranger things have happened.
