Lahm explains why Xavi may be doomed to fail at Barcelona
Stefan Bienkowski
- 19 Nov 2021 12:55 GMT
- 5 min read
Former Bayern Munich and Germany captain Philipp Lahm believes Xavi will find it difficult to succeed at Barcelona because the sport has moved on from the Tiki-Taka style of play that brought Xavi so much success as a player.
Under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola as a manager and Spain national team head coach Vicente del Bosque, Xavi was a vital part of two teams that won eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.
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As such, Xavi was deemed the perfect replacement to Ronald Koeman as Barcelona’s next manager, when he stepped into the role in place of the Dutch tactician in early November.
However, while Barca fans may be delighted to learn that Xavi favours the Tiki-Taka tactics of Guardiola, Lahm fears that style of football has diminished as the sport has become quicker and more physical.
“Times have changed. Coaches have lost some of their influence and players are even more decisive for the results,” said Lahm in his column for the Guardian. “The last time Barcelona won the Champions League was in 2015.”
'That will be a difficult undertaking'
He added: “Barca’s appeal has diminished, the dominant style with possession of 70% and more has been called into question. Already in 2010 and 2012, Internazionale and Chelsea barricaded the goal and eliminated Barcelona in the semi-finals.
“Today, they all have the “everyone behind the ball” principle down pat. Against a team defending in their own penalty box, technical solutions are less likely to help.
“Instead, the attacking team are reliant on their physique, such as for set pieces (height) or counterattacks (speed).”
Indeed, while Xavi will be able to call upon some impressive young players like Pedri and Gabri, Lahm is still pessimistic about the club legend building a team like the one he played in for so many successful years.
“Xavi has the necessary charisma. There are few who have lived up to the Barcelona ideal as he has, who embody the great times so credibly,” said the World Cup winner.
“Now he is supposed to reproduce them under different circumstances. That will be a difficult undertaking.”
