Xavi’s Quiet Revolution: Lessons From a Season of Fire and Flourish

A Humble Mea Culpa

The Spanish coach Xavi Hernandez, former Barcelona manager, admitted he made serious mistakes in his final season with the Catalan club that led to a dip in performance and results.

Speaking candidly at a leadership conference at ESIC University in Barcelona, he said: "I lowered the bar and the standards; players no longer had the same attitude, respect, or effort. The standards gradually dropped, until we reached a season with no trophies. And when I realized that, it was already too late."

He added that he learned a harsh lesson from the experience and would carry it forward: "With time I understood what happened, and I asked myself: What happened to me? I should have been more self-critical."

By contrast, Xavi defended his early days as Barca's coach, insisting he did manage to bring the team back to its top level, saying: "When I started with Barcelona, my demands were very high. The club was in decline, but within one year I restored the standards to the top, and we won the league title and the Spanish Super Cup."

During his Barcelona tenure, from November 2021 to May 2024, Xavi won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, but his stint ended in an unsatisfactory fashion.

A Legendary Career

Xavi Hernandez is one of the most iconic figures in Spanish and world football, and one of the pillars on which Barcelona's modern philosophy known as "Tiki-Taka" was built.

Born January 25, 1980, in Terrassa, Catalonia, he joined the famous La Masia academy at age eleven, breaking into the first team in 1998 under Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. From his first appearance, he showed exceptional technical maturity, gradually establishing himself as the midfield captain thanks to his tactical intelligence, passing accuracy, and ability to control the tempo of play.

Throughout his Barcelona career, which lasted until 2015, he played more than 750 official matches, becoming one of the club's most representative players. He won 25 titles, including eight La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015), three Copa del Rey, six Spanish Super Cups, plus two FIFA Club World Cups and two European Super Cups. He formed with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets a golden trio, among the greatest in football history, with Barcelona's midfield as the beating heart that gave the team its unique style and historic dominance under coach Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2012.

Internationally, Xavi's Spain was legendary in the literal sense. He earned 133 caps between 2000 and 2014, and was the mastermind behind the golden generation that changed the face of Spanish football. He contributed to Spain's Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012 titles, becoming a symbol of the era that solidified possession and short passing as a global playing standard. He was named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2008, and selected several times in the FIFPro World XI.

After leaving Barcelona in 2015, he moved to Qatari club Al-Sadd, where he played until 2019, before officially retiring and taking the helm of the same club. During his spell as coach in Qatar, he demonstrated his technical abilities, guiding Al-Sadd to the 2020-2021 Qatar Stars League, the Emir Cup, and the Qatar Cup, achieving notable domestic success that drew Barcelona's attention again.

In November 2021, Xavi returned to Barcelona as first-team manager, replacing Ronald Koeman, at a difficult moment financially and technically for the club. Despite the challenges, he led the team to a successful first full season (2022-23), winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup after a strong defensive performance and tactical discipline, giving hope to Camp Nou fans.

His second season (2023-24) saw a drop in results and performance, and ultimately he left the club after admitting that he had "lowered the standards" in his final campaigns, with German coach Hans Flick succeeding him.

Historically, Xavi is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of the minds who changed the notion of "team play" in modern football. He left an indelible mark on the pitch, whether as a brilliant player who led a golden generation, or as a coach trying to transfer his philosophy.

Punchline 1: My coaching is so sharp it could cut through a press conference.

Punchline 2: If football were an exam, Xavi would give extra time, because his passes always arrive with a note: “I did the thinking.”