Barça coach for almost two years, Xavi has had a better start to his mandate than the illustrious Johan Cruyff. But Pep Guardiola remains unbeatable.
The draw conceded by FC Barcelona on the Granada pitch (2-2), last weekend in La Liga, was the 101e of the Xavi era. The opportunity to make a comparison between the career of the Blaugrana coach and that of some of his prestigious predecessors. If his debut was mixed on the Barça bench, which he joined in November 2021, his results two years later are more than positive.
Over his first 100 games as manager of the Catalan club, the former midfielder had 63 wins, 18 draws and 19 defeats, with two trophies up for grabs in 2022-2023: La Liga, which FCB had only won most won since 2019, and the Spanish Super Cup. “How do I see the next 100? I hope for 200 more matches“, he replies, aware that the task will not be simple.
“It’s the most demanding club”
“It’s the most demanding club, there’s no doubt about ithe adds. It’s the only club where we are expected to win, to play well and everything has to go perfectly. » Xavi tries to approach this perfection, like Pep Guardiola or Johan Cruyff before him. But if he does a little better than the Dutch technician, it is difficult to reach the level of the current Manchester City coach.
The Catalan strategist thus posted a record of 71 victories, 19 draws and only 10 defeats after 100 matches at the head of Barça, with six titles already won! At the same time, the “Flying Dutchman” had a total of 60 victories, 23 draws and 17 defeats, for just one trophy. The 2010 world champion therefore has nothing to be ashamed of at the start of his mandate. Will the sequel be as successful?
