Reuters
Soccer Football – Emir Cup – Final – Al Sadd v Al Rayyan – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Thumama, Qatar – October 22, 2021 Al Sadd coach Xavi REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari
Reuters
Soccer Football – Emir Cup – Final – Al Sadd v Al Rayyan – Al Thumama Stadium, Al Thumama, Qatar – October 22, 2021 Al Sadd coach Xavi REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari
FC Barcelona finally have a new manager after they sacked Dutch legend Ronald Koeman after a string of horrible performances. They appointed another club legend, Xavi Hernandez, who will want to have the same effect as another former FC Barcelona great, Pep Guardiola, had during his stint at the helm of Barca.
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The fans welcomed Xavi back with open arms and there are more parallels than one between Xavi’s arrival and Pep Guardiola’s appointment in the mid-2000s. This will be Xavi’s second managerial stint after managing Al Sadd in Qatar. Guardiola too joined FC Barcelona for his second job as a manager after doing wonders with a Barcelona B team for four years.
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FC Barcelona’s catastrophic season under Ronald Koeman.
However, a lot has changed within the club since the glory days of 2008, and Xavi has a tough job on his hands. FC Barcelona has struggled massively in the league and beyond. The club is without their Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi for the first time since 2006.
Moreover, they are currently sitting in 9th place in La Liga after 12 games. While their bitter rivals Real Madrid are second, with a game in hand over Real Sociedad in the first place, Barcelona could struggle to make the top four. The club will hope that Xavi can turn the ship around in time.
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In the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona are doing a better job as they are in second place after four games with six points. However, third-place Benfica are on four points and have a chance of overtaking the Spanish club.
In such a situation, Barca fans are looking to Xavi as their saviour, which was evident from the enormous roar that he received when he was presented in front of the supporters. There’s nothing as potent as nostaligia for football fans, and Barca fans will hope that this reunion goes smoothly.
Xavi Hernandez and his exploits in Qatar.
On the other hand, Xavi has won seven trophies during his two and a half years with Al Sadd. Xavi won the league and the Qatar Cup in his second season with the club and won two more trophies that season.
In his final season, Xavi won three more trophies with Al Sadd and helped the club perform amazingly in the 97 games he managed. FC Barcelona will hope for similar results from their prodigal son. Will he deliver?
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