Xavi or Koeman: Which Barcelona legend should succeed Valverde?

Barcelona will have no dearth of options when choosing Valverde’s successor

Traditionally, only former players have been chosen as Barcelona manager. Apart from Gerardo Martino, the last 5 coaches have all had associations with the club in the past. The same can be expected for Ernesto Valverde’s successor.

Barça seldom fire managers mid-season. This season was anyway expected to be Valverde’s last, but a string of poor performances is likely to accelerate his departure. Even so, the project to rebuild Barça will have to start from next season.

But which Barça legend will be at the helm of that project? The current favourite for the job is Ronald Koeman, who will be available after the European Championship next summer. But ex-captain Xavi is also in the running.

In terms of experience, Koeman clearly has the edge over Xavi. He has managed sides in Spain, England and the Netherlands, and also has international managerial experience. In total, Koeman has been coaching for over two decades.

But Xavi too is slowly gaining experience. After retiring, he has taken up the managerial job at Al-Sadd. The former Spain international is expected to continue till the end of the season, but could leave if Barça offer him the coaching job.

Ronald Koeman and Xavi belong to the same school of footballing thought, tiki-taka. Koeman enjoyed his best years under Johan Cruyff playing alongside Pep Guardiola, and Xavi enjoyed his best years under Pep Guardiola alongside Lionel Messi.

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Guardiola considers Cruyff as his tactical mentor. If tiki-taka was developed by Cruyff, it was refined by Guardiola. Now, Barça have to decide whether to return to its roots or build on its tremendous success in the 21st century.

Both managers will return to the patient, possession-based style of play that characterises Barça. But there will be subtle differences. Koeman’s tactical setup will allow for greater freedom for individual players, while Xavi’s approach would be more structured.

While it is true that Cruyff’s philosophy is based on the Dutch ‘Total Football’, Barça have enjoyed greater success when players did what they were supposed to do and nothing more. If they excelled in their individual capacities, the team gelled.

In recent times, Valverde has tried to create a more expressive Barça side. But the only thing that the Basque coach has managed to do, is consistently drop points. So, a return to a more structured approach is desirable in that context.

On the other hand, Koeman’s greater flexibility means that he can switch things up as and when required. As a coach, he has implemented a variety of different tactics whilst retaining the Cruyff factor in his teams.

In that regard, Xavi is a bit of an unknown quantity. As a player, he has steadfast and reliable. But as a coach, there is much to be ascertained about his philosophy. So, the ex-Culé would be a bit of a bet when it comes to a managerial appointment.

But regardless, it should be Ronald Koeman who should be entrusted with managing Barça for at least the next few years. Barça should recruit Xavi to take charge of Barcelona B, or even assist Koeman on the Camp Nou benches.

But Barça want success with Messi still at the club, and Koeman is the man to deliver that success.