Reaction to Barcelona sacking Xavi: ‘They did him a favor’ - Steve Nicol | ESPN FC

Alex Kirkland joins Dan Thomas, Steve Nicol and Craig Burley on ESPN FC to discuss the report stating that Barcelona will sack Xavi and hire Hansi Flick as their next manager.
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[@kaykaykaykay3183]

Moral of the story, take a bow when the ovation is loud.

[@arunbalan5054]

Like Klopp and Zidane

[@deansteenkamp6329]

And Kroos

[@Photosoflife]

Anyone else feel like clubs are simultaneously losing their minds when it comes to managers?

[@adam_da_2024_official]

Yeah, A lot , even Milan with Pioli, even though they all have different reasons

[@andypandy4607]

Birmingham and Rooney

[@justinstewart-ek9tl]

Yes no club has patience anymore everyone wants quick glory

[@dp4812]

Yeah it's weird. Milan, Chelsea, Man United, Juventus...

[@Melancholic.0]

Juve won Copa Italia and sacked Allegri

[@gromit576]

Bayern Munich: We are the "Hollywood FC club" Barcelona: Hold my camera

[@manuelaparcedo417]

ah yes because Man Utd isn't a comedy troupe too

[@lisaruhm6681]

Dont forget PSG.

[@daniaaal]

On the bright side, Barca didnt appoint Vincent Kompany

[@aymaanchowdhury81]

Chelsea: what we talking about today boys?

[@dead_r33d]

@@manuelaparcedo417 how is United part of this comparison

[@Whatmobiledeal]

Imagine coming 2nd, 1st and 2nd in league and then getting sacked?! Football is a crazy game

[@_fitdoc95_]

Madrid is their only competition, this is why.. and they have been horrendous in europe

[@RickEYI]

​@_docgettinfit_ only 8 teams make it to the quarter finals, this year they were better in Europe.

[@rajplayaz16]

yeah imagine being a racist puta also

[@ChrisWalker-m8f]

No in other clubs is normal but in barca is not that's why even the greatest coach of all time pep said the pressure in barca is far different from any where

[@P4P1980]

@@ChrisWalker-m8f Thats because there are now sadly a lot of fake cry baby barca fans at the club that can't distinct between real football and PlayStation football

[@ViscaBarcelonayProCatalu-io6zn]

Not only we a big mess we have to clean up , but I think Xavi is being disrespected too much 😢😢 his legacy will not be ruined 💙❤️

[@lionelmessithegoatLM10]

Agree. Laporta was way too disrespectful

[@yeasirkhan5786]

Already ruined a lot

[@legin2056]

It's been ruined

[@The000999000999]

lampard ka naam suna hai?

[@P4P1980]

@@lionelmessithegoatLM10 Laporta is a tool and this desperate move is just a face saving move by Laporta nothing more when the bigger picture still remains will remain which is that FC Barcelona are still in turmoils as a club and a Flick is not going to do any better and thats why he's signed to 1 + 1

[@Sabet-plays-roblox]

So poor Xavi the way to kick him out was so badly.

[@rajplayaz16]

he isn’t good enough for the team!!! racist puta

[@ShervinZ]

Absord.

[@MrKaravaj]

Right or wrong decision doesnt matter - Barcelona made this ugly and disrespected Xavi! WIth that said, Flick is a great coach, congrats to Barca for that part though

[@rajplayaz16]

got what he deserved ….. he is a racist puta!!

[@ArmyPsy951]

How did they "disrespect" him? Not all players succeed as coaches and they get sacked, that's not disrespecting them. Same thing with Lampard, Pirlo etc

[@MrKaravaj]

@@ArmyPsy951 Its not about that. They begged him to stay one month ago when he clearly wanted to step aside - only to sack him instead

[@ArmyPsy951]

@@MrKaravaj Nobody begged him to stay, not everything works as the news report it. Do your own research, things are happening very differently behind the scenes. He was the one who changed his decision and tried to convince laporta in a sushi dinner, laporta wasn't sure but xavi convinced him by lying that he was very confident about the team. A week later in the match press conference he revealed he is not confident in the team and that we shouldn't have much expectations for next year, an "it is what it is" kind of statement that Laporta hates and it was what got Koeman sacked as well. Laporta got angry and felt misled by xavi and decided to part ways and bring someone who actually believes in the team and does not bring misery to the fan base with his statements.

[@MrKaravaj]

@@ArmyPsy951 Hmm the sushi-Xavi thing, you have a source for that? Sounds interesting. However yes, Maybe, there is always 2 side of a coin. But many knows Laporta being weird lately, even with Messi and more and more understand what Messi´s brother said about it. But maybe you are right after all. But the whole thing came out weird last month

[@Ealoseum]

Reminds me of the scene from The Office where the guy tries to quit and Michael fires him 🤣

[@atifsaeed7917]

As a Madrid fan, I want to wish Xavi the best of luck in his future. It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for him. As far as Hansi flick is concerned, he wants to sign four different players including Bernardo Silva. All the best!

[@shaquillethomas1544]

Respect to you a real football fan👏👏👏🙏🙏

[@Sonicboom726]

Barca aren't improving anymore until they don't buy quality players but they can't do because they can't spend barca gonna be worst then united

[@Mimomimomimo4577]

Madrid needs Barca and vise versa. Simply a league without top competition is not worth watching. Barca will have to dig in their pockets to get the right signings with limited assets, unfortunately gonna be the case for the next few year

[@crazechill1]

Flick can wish to sign anyone he wants but there are no funds. Laporta can sell the trophies collections to make some budget

[@ranndino]

I hope Flick understands that there's no money to sign anyone and is OK with that. We'd be lucky if we hung on to existing talent.

[@kyg.avatar]

Being honest I love xavi as a legend but the situation at Barca and the style we currently playing I don't know if he is the one, we won a league but we didn't look convincing thank you xavi.

[@Quan367]

People forgot how bad we were and scraping 1-0 results against mid and lower table teams

[@afolabitoye4393]

@@Quan367 Wait for your one-season wonder. Next season is here already. You mistreat your legend (Messi) and want success afterward; it's not happening.

[@Tacticfreak1]

That's why I love Stevie, he is honest. Xavi was treated badly but we all know this guy doesn't have the experience to manage a top club especially with Barcelona and the pressure around the club. Welcome Hansi Flick, I pray he delivers.

[@humphreyobanor866]

Barca probably rushed the flick opportunity because they heard that ten hag was getting sacked

[@ubuntumike5794]

Yep

[@princearthur5532]

Clubs Don't have patience. They don't want to have long-term plans . They spend huge players so 🤷 😕 I kinda understand. Expectations are high

[@jaywalker6464]

Great move by management.

[@AtleticoCool94]

Simeone stays and then the tactics same thing -____- no matter what happens

[@shaquillethomas1544]

I really want Atletico win UCL,they deserved at least 1

[@_fitdoc95_]

Getting rid of Simeone might actually get y’all your 1st ucl

[@PepTalkTillYouDrop]

​@@_fitdoc95_nope. The reason why Simeone is struggling is because they don't have the financial might of Barca or Real. If Simeone were coaching somewhere else he would probably have already won the UCL by now. Get Simeone the players he needs and see him win La Liga and the UCL like he's done before and almost did respectively.

[@_fitdoc95_]

@@PepTalkTillYouDrop I agree with you to some extent, but atletico might not have the finances of madrid and barca but they are no longer a selling club.. You give mourinho this team and he can win you the ucl like he did with inter, they have similar identity and even now on paper atletico is as good as the inter team that reached ucl final last season and won the seria a this season. Inter with the right coach will be contenders to win ucl same as this atletico eventho they are not even in their prime they still have top players.. To win ucl you don’t have to be the best on paper or the best team or have the biggest budget, you only need to be better on the field in 180 minutes or be more effective in those 180 minutes against whoever you meet..

[@_fitdoc95_]

@@shaquillethomas1544 same here. I don’t like the fact that only madrid and barca have ucl from spain.. even portugal and netherlands have 3 each

[@jacorust]

3 points worse than last season and it's seen as a disaster

[@ilfouco1541]

Bruh I’m happy he’s leaving. Xavi’s football makes me cry. It makes Barca look talentless😂. Like before y’all criticize Laporta remember he pulled levers and spent 220mil to support Xavi. Y’all were teasing him for selling club assets and now y’all hate him when he sacks this mid manager

[@SXNXKX]

Brother people forget the sacrifices laporta made!!! Not me i remember all those moves and look how everything turned out xavi mannn I don't hate laporta at alllll I'm happy xavi's gone tired of that barca DNA tin just win the freaking match You don't hear madrid saying ohhh vinicius played the madrid way Xavi renewing Sergi roberto for what when he missed the entire season Man i can go on and on Enough is enough

[@bythecliff]

Barcelona are making the same mistake as Man Utd. Sacking a manager after just 2 full seasons is foolish especially when the results have not been horrible.

[@Grant-xh3qq]

The way Barcelona board conduct themselves shows ignorance and always looking for a quick fix, xavi did a very good job with the strife that's in the Barcelona team, I never expected them to be 10+ behind madrid, qf of copa del rey and last 16 of champions league ? Barcelona need a complete business overhaul if they want too sustain a push for la liga/ 1 Cup competition too

[@David_Smith]

Xavi should have stuck to his decision to leave and now they fired him which is shameful.

[@shadowwalker006]

Despite losing Xavi I believe Flick will do a better job with Barcelona, I feel Robert will be better under flick and other players will play with more intensity

[@antiwokehuman]

Why would anyone trust laporta after what he did to messi

[@ZAGIDI]

Xavi for Manchester United, Chelsea or Bayern Munich

[@themystery8432]

he don't fit in any of these clubs

[@eL--RaL]

Flick's Barça will rain havoc on every team ..Anyone who stands in our way will feel our wrath

[@EldePHX]

🤣🤣 yeah right

[@mirdulsinghsingh7299]

​@@EldePHX he is delusional don't pay attention to him.

[@johnnysins9054]

Keep telling yourself that

[@benban8055]

Hala Madrid!!!

[@1b0o0]

Your wrath! Sure bud. 🤡🤡🤡

[@jacquesm1553]

Xavi had to go. Whoever thought differently was just a Xavi fan, delusional/too hopeful or blind. That team was so bad at the beginning of the season. The fact that they finished 2nd only shows how bad the other teams are in La Liga. I used to bet with friends that Barça would concede a goal in the first 20mns of every games they played. They had a good run in the second half of the season. But Barça need new ideas, new coach. They have good talents in the team. I don't know if Flick will do better, but it's a gamble. However, the way they sacked Xavi was wrong. If you don't want the man, tell him thank you and bye. Dont tell him you're happy he is staying, just to sack him.

[@AayushKhanal]

He was operating without a proper DM for the first time. Busquets boots arent easy to fill. He figured it out after a while.

[@bryanp5843]

Key players like Dembele, Jordi and Busquets left the team, while Laporta gave Xavi bums like Felix, Romeu, and Cancelo, who Xavi didn't request. Gundogan was the only worthy signing last summer

[@maulds7650]

@@bryanp5843 and to add complexity, Raphinha essentially did Lewandowski's job to carry barca as far as they got in ucl

[@sdrfgt]

LAPORTA must be delusional. They can't even afford a Mars bar, so what Xavi said is spot on... they can't compete with Real Madrid, nor will they for another 20 years

[@ArmyPsy951]

You got people here saying "this is not how you manage a club" like they have themselves managed anything besides Crystal Palace at pes 2014 master league.

[@SXNXKX]

Tell 'em bro

[@RICKtoSICK10]

It’s still pretty to look at this and say that it was disrespectful and not right

[@paulocrf1]

I think it was cowardice with Xavi even though the work was bad. I wanted him to go away, but not like this

[@rm0986]

He was already leaving, all Laporta had to do was shuttle his trap a few more weeks. Also, I think it's unreasonably harsh to just say "his work was bad" - his lack of experience definetly showed, particularly in how he got himself sent off frequently, but considering what little he had to work with compared to his predecessors, he generally did alright. First UCL quarterfinals since Messi, finished first once and second once in the league - all things considered he did alright.

[@insideinside9450]

​@@rm0986yes you are right. His time at barca was good. His first six months were perfect however his last 7-9 months were pretty bad.

[@johanngrant]

ESPN KNOWS NOTHING BARCA DID XAVI NO WRONG IF HE HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO LEAVE AT THE EBD OF THE SEASONS THEN THEIR IS NO HARM DONE IN TELLING HIM TO LEAVE IF HE HAD ALREADY PLANNED TO DO SO HIMSELF !!!!!!! \0/ AND HANSI FLICK YOU ARE A GREAT COACH I KNOW YOU WILL SUCCEED AT BARCELONA AND I WISH YOU THE BEST SEASON OF YOUR LIFE ❤

[@gooner72]

For a lot of people, especially at the club but also thd media, to disrespect this man like they have, it infuriates me really. Xavi was a phenomenal player and an extremely loyal servant to Barcelona, he does not deserve it at all.

[@razbigranicu]

He did great with Bayern but the spell with Germany cast some doubt on Flick for me. I can't help but think Barcelona should have dug deeper in search for the new man. I mean, is the main reason he's getting the job because he beat them 8-2 some years ago? That's how it feels to me.

[@tobaepebinuade5830]

Imagine telling people in 2020 after Bayern Munich demolished Barcelona 8-2 that Hansi Flick would be the manager of Barcelona 4 years later. At the time, no one would believe you they would laugh at you, but that’s a really that’s actually happening in 2024. A guy who was the driving force behind their biggest defeat ever is about to be their manager after it was announced that Xavi was going to be sacked. It tells you how funny of a game that football can be. Some people are probably 50-50 on Barcelona hiring Flick. It’s not just because of the disrespectful way in which they sacked Xavi, it’s because of his recent stint with the Germany national team and how it didn’t work out there. He did struggle with Germany and replacing Joachim Low was incredibly difficult for him which wasn’t his fault because their decline started before their previous coach stepped down from the job, but we shouldn’t forget what he did at Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season. We have to remember that there’s a big difference between club and international football and the style of both of them are very different because you don’t play a lot of games at international level and many of the players meet a couple of times a year since they’re busy playing for their club week in week out whereas at club level, there’s far more games to play meaning that for a manger they can implement their ideas very easily. In that season, they had inconsistency initially under Nico Kovac as their manager and as soon as he was sacked, with Flick in charge, they won the treble and absolutely dominated football and he made them an unstoppable team and they later on won the sextuple which is 6 trophies in a span of a year. He’s working with Robert Lewandowski again who had the best period of his career under him at Bayern Munich where he should’ve won a Ballon Dor by now and maybe you could see a better version of Lewandowski under his former manager. Despite his disappointing tenure with the Germany national team, he’s capable of fixing Barcelona and building a team that’ll compete with Real Madrid in La Liga and should at least go deep in the Champions League as that’s what they should be striving for. With all due respect to Xavi, I think Flick is an upgrade on him mainly down to his track record and experience at Bayern Munich even if it lasted for a year and an elite manager is what this team needs if they want to get somewhere close to competing for the Champions League. Even when he announced that he was staying, Hansi Flick was always on the radar of Barcelona and he’s not a bad manager to get on the market.

[@mjeez4348]

Xavi lost it when he said he doesn't see himself taking the club yo the right direction ...

[@LadiAdewumi]

If Man Utd sacks Ten Hag, they'll most likely sign Xavi as manager.

[@anish91000]

This is what Pep Guardiola really would have been if he wasnt blessed with the greatest barca squad of all time.

[@dorian.1860]

There’s nothing to back this statement

[@1997lordofdoom]

​@@dorian.1860There is, his failure in Bayern to win the UCL, him only winning only 1 UCL with City after having embarrassing exits to Monaco and Lyon. Even his Barca success was because of extremely controversial referee decisions.

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

​@1997lordofdoom completely disagree with referee decisions.

[@sarthakbiswas2201]

He built it - Dani alves, pique, busquets, weren't the best in the world during his time.

[@beetledune9264]

Lol. Man C is not that 'it' club before Pep came.

[@recsa8882]

Let me tell you, as a Madrid fan this has been a tough week, first Kroos and now xavi ... all bad news

[@FCB_Chloe]

same man who won 0-4 and 3-1 against you, btw. And won the league with a ten point difference. I wouldn’t be so cocky.

[@eL--RaL]

The whole world is always watching Barça with 4 eyes, scared to see our potential rise.. They troll us with FEAR undercover The Catalan Kings will rise again The world isn't ready for Flick's Barça 💙❤️ 🐐🔥

[@AD-nz3cc]

😂😂😂😂 LOL. Barca Era is over. Hala Madrid

[@mirdulsinghsingh7299]

​​@@AD-nz3cc even as a barca fan I have to say this man above is completely living in a delusion.

[@_fitdoc95_]

Delulu😂

[@danteinferno9408]

Plyers need to get sack as well

[@adamcheong4742]

The manager takes the club to 2nd place and he gets sack. Ridiculous !

[@dtgb7]

Its the ridicule in Europe that we wont stand for! We lost europa league last year and now we had the easiest way to go to atleast the finals and we couldnt do it.. I love Xavi but we need an experienced manager, our players need to have a tough mentality which is what he couldn't transmit to the team in my opinion, we have the quality to be atleast in quarters and semifinals we just dont have the mindset of a big team...

[@MohdSaifullislam]

How do you rate Hansi Fleck's appointment out of 10? For me, It's 8.2/10.

[@stephenmapeka7774]

I have been Barcelona supporter for decades and La Porta didnt only dismiss Xavi for what he said,they already realised any coach who had players Xavi had would have done better-they would have still won la liga and could have progressed further in UCL last season.This season they would have won La liga again or atleast lost title by virtue of inferior head to head clash vs Real Madrid,they would have eliminated Psg in UCL quarterfinals,Dortmund in the semi-finals&we would be going to face Real Madrid in the finals.I just wanted those who keep on saying he deserves to stay because he won the leaque&finished second to realise he isnt a good coach for Barcelona,maybe in 5 to10yrs after gaining experience somewhere else,not now!

[@vickish27_zw]

The problem is people think barca is a bad team 😂 they forget we won the league last year

[@jeffrybrojeffrybro5151]

Good..now Victor Roque can concentrate scoring goals for Barcelona..Cautinho too will be happy after what he did to him...

[@segagenesis7708]

Anyone could have seen this coming. Koeman was given no money to spend and by the time he was sacked, didn't have a striker, Wingers injured, only had one CB who HE developed (Araujo), was treated three times worse by Laporta. Laporta mortgaged the club's future to get Xavi over 250m Euros to spend on players and Xavi announces he's leaving, only to later tell Laporta he wanted to stay, because he believed in the squad. Only to THEN say publicly that we can't compete with Madrid financially. Translation: He didn't believe in the team.

[@davidsegovia9644]

He did believe in the team just not the way the club managed their signings(aka Deco). He wanted a quality 6 and Barca could’ve gotten the one Real sociedad but instead they got a kid from Brazil who wasn’t going to get minutes and needs time to adapt. Also what he said on the press conference is true, that doesn’t mean he didn’t believe in the team.

[@kingrevvv8018]

Correction: He didn’t tell Laporta he wanted to stay. They begged and convinced him to stay.

[@segagenesis7708]

@@davidsegovia9644 But that’s not something you say publicly after you just told your boss privately that you believe you can make it work despite the financial issues.

[@myusernameisalan]

Did him a favor? Stevie don’t even start. Liverpool were a joke for a good decade before klopp made them a serious club again.

[@sagarshekar9745]

I think we Barca fans are not upset that Xavi is leaving but how it was done. He didn’t deserve to go out this way. He brought the club out of a bad situation and won us our first league title in a while. I don’t understand why they decided to keep him in the first place and make that announcement he was staying. What’s the reason they are sacking him for? Was it because of his comments regarding Barcelona‘s financial situation? That doesn’t make sense. It’s a known fact and Barca fans all know about it. Just stupid all around and makes us look like clowns

[@kunalbulchandani322]

Barcelona has done that in last few years starting with saurez, then messi and now xavi

[@zed-3659]

Alex genuinely analyses football unlike the other pundits

[@asif8440]

He announced that he was leaving at the end of the szn, since then Rafa Yuste and Laporta would come out to the media after every game and say "we hope he changes his mind, this is his project" comes the end of the szn, laporta invites xavi to his house, convices him to stay with other board member WHILE lapporta already had an agreement in place with Flick. Xavi comes out to the media and basically speaks the truth about barca's financial struggle but laporta did not like that so two board members fly out to London behind xavi's back and hold a meeting with him to take over. Xavi finds all of this out through the media. They kept him in the dark for days after convincing him to stay. I wouldn't call that a 'favor' lmao that's a betrayal. It was a humiliation.

[@robbielohman9767]

Sack laporta

[@JulionCodling]

Sack LaPorta for what?

[@nanaorgen3605]

Sack him. I hate him so much

[@Mimomimomimo4577]

Xavi is a legend but with him the club trajectory is not promising going into next season. Flick is new, may not concede to Laporta as much which may change that trajectory. Laporta’s issue is not club’s interest but that he shook Xavi’s hands then back stabbed him. It’s low but still within the club’s interest

[@mr.k.8787]

Yeah of course madrid fans wants Laporta out so barca gonna get another Bartemau Laporta is the best president Barca ever had he is stil trying to fix the mess that bartemeau has left Barca was about to get bankrupt Laporta aint perfect but people forget that he was the one who brought Frank Rijkard and Ronaldinho And made Pep Gaurdiola as coach of the first team Barca won 3 ucl under Laporta 🔴🔵

[@stefanstefanescu3202]

Xavi created his own downfall. 4 weeks ago Xavi and Laporta made an agreement, amongst which is having a more positive and competitive attitude towards the press and the players. More leadership and confidence. Also to give Roque ,the 40 million investment, more playtime and chance to grow. Xavi said in May 2024, in a press conference, a few weeks after the agreements,that Barca has no money and no chance basically to compete with Madrid and other top clubs in Europe. Also not giving Roque any playtime at the end if the season. What kind of message is that towards the team and supporters? It's like a boxer thinking he will lose before he gets into the ring. Guess what happens? He loses!!! Barca is a football club of fans with hope and desire for leadership, positive outlook on things, wanting to fight for victory. Xavi destroyed any hope and damaged the next season before it began. What business or football club wants a manager or a coach like that??? NONE !!! So Xavi got sacked for breaking agreements and destroying any hope and demotivating the team and the youngsters for next seasons chances. Xavi created his own downfall. I'm not convinced about Flick, but for sure he is a guarantee for more fighting spirit, aggression, physicality and positiveness!! Welcome Hansi!!! Visca El Barca, visca Catalunya!!! 💜💙💜

[@sophieilondo6068]

Exactly. And how do you even start working with this group of players, especially the young players, after that press conference? Oh the manager has no faith in us, And remember that Barcelona started getting results again soon after he announced that he was leaving.

[@stefanstefanescu3202]

@@sophieilondo6068 Exactly

[@mickzed6393]

They must remember that 8:2 Bayern debacle against Flick. He left Bayern because he always wanted "die Mannschaft" job and it became available. The rest is just hearsay.

[@PeskeyStrider2]

A manager getting sacked twice in one season lol! nothing surprises when it come to the shambles that is Barcelona

[@Joswag]

Atletico and Real and City are really the only big clubs in Europe with stable management

[@bcpac]

He acted like a child announcing he was leaving when he still had one year left in his contract. It's not his club that he declares he is leaving now he is staying.

[@bepsolo]

People forget to remember that barca has not have a good coach since luis enrique left, with the situation barca have been, they need an experience coach to handle the situation and not a rookie coach regardless of statue at the club. This is a business and not an ex-players social organisation, winning is the name of the game and the philosophy, things are on the line regardless.

[@evilsultan]

Feel bad for Xavi even though he wasn’t a convincing manager. He doesn’t deserve this for all he’s given to us. But Laporta doesn’t want to fix a bad decision with another one. Marquez was never going to be a good option so as soon as they knew they could get Flick they acted.

[@auhsojyihst9440]

Xavi was a great player but coaching a club of that level, it's another game. They gave him a chance like Pep, Xabi and Zidane hoping he will win big title and return to Europe Glory. But it didn't work. You can argue that Xavi took Barca when it was a project at the end of an era, so he needed time... for example Leo left Barca while at 9th in Laliga after a 8-2 humiliation in UCL against Bayern. So Xavi came when it was a project. But Pep also came when it was a project at the end of an era. They both had great talent. That's why they blamed him. You can have excuses but Ancelotti won UCL playing his injured BBC attack in 2014, did it again with Benzema injured in 2022. And in 2024, he played with his team B defenders and goal keeper for half season, RM is also at the end of an era rebuilding their entire attack, entire Middlefield and injured defenders. But still winning the Spain Super Cup, LaLiga, Reach UEFA final, also won 4 El-Classico in a row in 2024: This won't sit well with Laporta and fans. When you are Barca's coach you will be compared to rival RM, and if you are RM's coach, you will be compared to rival Barca.

[@watts_papi]

Mourinho for Chelsea

[@marcelanoryadi9110]

Bruh, he will want £ 300 million on new players

[@gerardstamaria3945]

I am not a fan of Barcelona but I am so sad for Xavi. He was a superb player and he deserved time to build Barcelona. In my opinion, Hansi Flick is not a good choice for Barcelona. Hansi should rebuild himself by leading a smaller club in the bundesliga. Hansi just is not experience enough to lead a giant club like Barcelona. Feel sorry for Barcelona too. Xavi, keep your head held high. You're a great player and in my opinion, you were heading towards becoming a very good coach. You have a bright future infront of you. Wishing you all the best and wishing Barcelona all the best.

[@wario1015]

He doubted the team so that alone was a call to sack him.

[@Quan367]

This is what they all fail to realize. He’s was trying to play down expectations based on rival signings and you can’t do that. Leverkusen went unbeaten and they’re not the best team in Europe. Dortmund is in a UCL final and their team isn’t the best when you look at it on paper and xavi knows football isn’t played on paper so making excuses for next season shouldn’t be tolerated

[@elvallery6297]

❤❤❤❤

[@elvallery6297]

​@@Quan367 true words!

[@michaeloluwaseunakinoluwam9118]

You just speak raw sense

[@ShervinZ]

thats bull. He created the whole team himself. They used him and threw him in the worst way. Its possible that laporta just wanted to disrespect him, Messi and Koeman so that he feels some kind of ego/power boost.

[@sophieilondo6068]

Barcelona did Xavi wrong, but he didn't help things. First he announced that he's leaving, obviously he didn't think that he was the right man for the job. Then he announces to the whole world, that the club won't be able to compete with other clubs because of their financial situation. I mean, does he have faith in his team, players? It doesn't sound as such. Secondly Barcelona continue to make the same mistakes by buying these older players instead of rebuilding the squad with younger players. Look at Arsenal as an example. Are Casemiro and Varane a success at United? Or Messi, Neymar at PSG. They don't need the likes of these older players who won everything with their former clubs. Lewandowski, Bernardo Silva or Gündogan. They need a long-term plan with young players they can develop and can compete in the CL in 2-3 years.

[@ramkrishan_sahu]

What about the Negrera case, suddenly the news is not that interesting...

[@DRIVER-SEBVET]

Yep they didn't like his honest perspective on the comparison with Real Madrid, That got him the sack....

[@ryanporter9134]

It’s was easy for Xavi to change is mind to stay at Barcelona because of his affinity with the club. Volunteering to leave is difficult from being sacked! It means Barcelona will have to pay him off. Am I not correct?

[@brianprice9421]

All big smiles for the sacking of Xavi. Espn pundits are ridiculous at this point.

[@kyg.avatar]

I still doubt flick because of the situation at Barca but we need a better style with what we have, we are boring, knowing how we use to play

[@HawaiiSoccerNut]

Xavi worked magic with the financial mess he was handed. Plus the core of Barca's invincible team is gone. Yes they have a decent squad and are building up a number of promising young players, but to expect results to match the glory years is ridiculous. Xavi needed time and support and he got neither.

[@sublime9525]

I feel good about Vito Roque tho.

[@Footie4ever]

Winning the league last year, and finishing second this year, against RM whois arguably the best team in the world, and gets the sack. If he deserves it then 99% of coaches at the top level deserves to go.

[@sujiks9517]

They ask him to stay only to kick him out

[@somu9821]

This is a total disgrace. Barcelona have dug their own grave there's nothing Xavi could do here, one of the main reason Real Madrid stands where they are is how seamless they are with their transitions and finance Barcelona have been absolutely horrendous in this aspect. Without La Masia I've no idea what Barcelona would do, but it is nice to see the players are dedicated and playing for the badge, which always gives me hope one day Barcelona would be playing at top level again. El Clasico isn't what it used to be anymore.

[@sophieilondo6068]

But whatever people think of Florentino Perez, including me, he's turned Real into an even bigger club. Barcelona need their own FP. Clearly Laporta doesn't know what he's doing, he's useless.

[@somu9821]

@@sophieilondo6068 indeed he's a genius

[@sharvilverma2984]

Xavi is not the issue, it’s Laporta !! Without Xavi, we would not have cubarsi, Fermin, guiu and ford. He needed a season or two to grow players in his style. It takes time to develop something unless Barcelona wants to be like RM and just buy galacticos, if so then with what money ? Barcelona needs to go back to its roots, use home grown la masia grads !!

[@joleneacquah7529]

Madrid move from galaticos long time ago they now buy young players with potentials and nurture them to be world class stars eg. Vini,Rodrigo,camavinga, valverde etc

[@sharvilverma2984]

@@joleneacquah7529 the conversation is not about Madrid, it’s about Barcelona’s future and legacy. Madrid doesn’t have an academy of la masia’s size or stature. We need to utilise it and nurture players from it.

[@mirdulsinghsingh7299]

​@@sharvilverma2984💯 percent agree with your words laporta and his administration are a disgrace now.

[@benban8055]

Yeah, how much did Barca pay Xavi to leave 20 mill or 25 mill? But Barca has no money Lol

[@joleneacquah7529]

@@sharvilverma2984 Madrid has academy that has produced talent but they don't normally integrate them in the first team unless you prove yourself otherwise so the sell to make profit and also insert buy back clause in case you do well they will bring you back like what they did with carvajal so if you don't know just shut your mouth

[@bertguthrie9443]

So u ask him to stay to sack him smh these ppl are ruining my club

[@MinatoJunior-hl8tb]

Disrespectful for xavi

[@abasssheriffkamara3016]

ESPN is the happiest show on KZbin right now. They were upset when they announced that xavi was staying. And he's leaving so they are happy now.

[@RICKtoSICK10]

Are they? What makes you think that?

[@standardv]

Flick will not see Christmas as a barca coach. Crazy appointment.

[@jeff_tj]

Farcelona more like it - this is completely ridiculous. Absolutely completely terrible treatment of Xavi. He should never have allowed them to convince him to go back on his desire to leave.

[@ARIYBALL]

Remember These are same group of tools who cant stop talking about how Madrid treat its legends while they are the worst at managing theirs! Literally begged Xavi to stay only to sack him a week later! No club can be this clownish than Barcelona! hence "more than a club" 🤣

[@abody499]

think about it though - he left, no golden handshake. He stayed, got sacked - golden handshake. Is it Laporte's money to give? No, it's the institution's. That's how they roll.

[@papipj4363]

Does he get a better deal or financial aid/ bonus if fired ?

[@ChosenVessel10]

He had 1 year left on his contact and they have to pay him that or they can be sued

[@assquiat]

they are hoping he is “a man of the club” and forgoes his severance

[@ZAGIDI]

Never a dull moment. Barcelona should be on Netflix with all their drama 🤷🏾‍♂️.

[@kwameacheampong9478]

Xavi also cursed embracement to Larporta

[@ungalld]

Laporta is a disgrace. He’s notorious for treating the club legends with disrespect… forget what he did, after convincing Messi to vote for him? He’s too egotistical and wants managers to lie/hurt their reputations for him. He hasn’t reduce the debt but increases it with silly decisions. Xavi did a lot with less. Hansi Flick will not be successful coaching Barca; as Xavi was!

[@nerminpeskovic3439]

I think it was the right decision, but the way it went down was all wrong… should’ve just let him go when he wanted to go. Huge disrespect to an all time legend. I’m excited for Hansi Flick though. I think he can really give us a new identity.

[@IncredibleMet]

Is it just me or have Bayern kicking themselves that they could have gotten Xavi over Kompany?

[@tutuuo]

Business is business.

[@no_halo24]

It's a circus right now at Barcelona. We culers are now numb. Pain is all we know.

[@tobaepebinuade5830]

All of these big football clubs are ran like a circus nowadays and Barcelona’s decision to sack Xavi a month after they begged him to stay it’s absolutely disrespectful and embarrassing to see how incompetent they are. This sacking was wrong on all levels. I know he crossed the line with the comments he made about their financial situation and how they’ll try to compete with Real Madrid and of course you don’t want to say things like that in public even though the whole world has known about this for a while now, this is not the right way to treat a club legend. Back in January, he made his decision and he announced that he’ll leave Barcelona at the end of the season. At the time he wasn’t sacked as he said it himself on his own terms that he wanted to leave and that was when they were at their worst point of the season where they got knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and were already out of the title race in La Liga. After experiencing an up turn in form after that which led to optimism that they would make the champions league final and make a late push for the title in La Liga, many people were convincing Xavi to stay at Barcelona. Even though they went trophy less, they actually managed to pull it off as he ended up staying at the club. A month later, he’s been officially fired after deciding to stay. It’s a bit like Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, announced that he was leaving the club, multiple managers reject them, only for them to then convince him to stay and now he’s leaving and they’re about to get Vincent Kompany. I don’t see how anybody can take this football club seriously because he wasn’t sacked for the way the team was playing even though they didn’t have a good season on paper, you got rid of him because of what he said in a press conference and there were reports that he was losing the dressing room and several of his players turned against him and felt mistreated. I don’t hold back when I say that these football clubs are ran like a “circus show” and Barcelona’s soap opera with Xavi and the manner in which he was sacked it’s a prime example of the problem with how the situation of a manager is handled these days. Even though it was wrong to sack him in this fashion you don’t treat a club legend like that, his departure is a bit of a win-win for both him and Barcelona. Realistically, he wanted to leave and that was a decision that he should’ve stuck with in the first place and he didn’t want to be there anymore and now he’s getting his wish, from Barcelona’s perspective, they’ve gotten as far as he’s taken them, and you can see that they need an elite manager if they want to compete in the champions league. You can agree or disagree with me on this, but Hansi Flick is a bit of an upgrade on Xavi and with a proper manager, Barcelona might be able to be a much better team than what we’ve seen from them this season.

[@goodnews709]

Hansi Flick is a serious upgrade not a bit

[@thefakechris]

hurts to see xavi treated this way, but i think its for the best. i think the players need a different voice to push them to improve

[@VikramSingh-iy4zg]

young players of barcelona improved lot under xavi and now he is gone that means barca is back to square one

[@talhachughtai]

Flicks move is undervalued now, barca need an energetic coach like flick or Jurgen to start being competitive again. Next season Barca will finally come to life

[@harrysandro7351]

Barcelona would be insane if they keep Xavi as the coach for next season.

[@Jameswestern]

I have a dream today Barca had won the first Classico 5-0

[@parshakamarsh]

And that's where it'll stay, in your dreams 😂

[@muhammadnizam3397]

For me personally Barca went no more Johan Cruyff in organization Barca will be like m.u it crumble can't be solved easily

[@elyseemersier]

Xavi should’ve just stick with His Decision… it didn’t have to be like this. His a club Legend but it was time for Him to go. Harsh to say but true

[@mysticman9331]

What is going on at Barca. What are the losses smoking. This is not a good move.

[@FreeEagle-zh7js]

Anyone ever taken notice that there are not too many talented managers out there any longer??

[@themystery8432]

fr

[@fokerfakerfuker]

One could say that Xavi got Flicked from Barca

[@stavrosgeorgiades1219]

So according to you Barca’s problem was Xavi?!! Not the second division players they bought for free who wouldn’t be playing in any top team?!!! And gets sacked simply by stating that Barca doesn’t have the money to buy the top players!

[@ViscaBarcelonayProCatalu-io6zn]

Frank Lampard Chelsea head coach was funny 😂 😆 definitely because of blue tears 😭 I wish they give them a lifetime contract 🤪🫠