![]() Vincenzo Italiano, 44, Fiorentina Vincenzo Italiano has been at Fiorentina for less than two years. Aside from his tactical tweaks and fine in-game management, Xavi has also brought an air of calm - his media appearances are as assured as expected - to a frantic Camp Nou and has certainly restored team spirit and the joy of football to the squad. While Xavi will surely be given time to realise such an ambitious project, in his short stint in the Barcelona dugout he has already shown the pragmatism worthy of a top head coach. Given Barcelona's traditions and Xavi's legacy as a player (he made 767 appearances for the club and won 25 major trophies), there's little doubt that he was brought back after six years playing and coaching at Al Sadd in Qatar to build a Barcelona side reminiscent of the one he was a part of creating from 1998 to 2015. Perhaps surprisingly to some, Xavi has also showed a cynical edge, sometimes happy to drop deep and play on the break when needs must. While it will take Xavi some time to find the right squad of players he wants to work with, he has stuck to Barca's well-balanced 4-3-3 formation that features flexibility when playing out from the back and allows for the strengths of the attacking players when going forward (such as tucking in the right-back to allow winger Adama Traore space out wide to look for one-on-one situations). Indeed, their 4-0 home win against Athletic Club this weekend marked their best performance of the campaign. Since he took over for Ronald Koeman four months ago, Barcelona have started the transformation from a nervous and self-conscious side, afraid of making mistakes and reluctant to take the initiative, into a free-flowing team bursting with confidence. Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesĪlthough he's only 13 LaLiga games into his tenure as head coach of Barcelona, it's fair to say the impact of the former midfielder has been immediate. Xavi, 42, Barcelona Xavi has made a real impact upon his return to Camp Nou. Elsewhere, even names such as Mauricio Pochettino (50, PSG), Diego Simeone (51, Atletico Madrid) and Erik ten Hag (52, Ajax), who are still considered on the rise, are 50-plus.ĮSPN takes a look at six head coaches 45 or younger in European football who have already been backed to lead a top club, and those who might be first in line for the next opportunity.Ĭandidates such as Julian Nagelsmann (34, Bayern Munich), Marco Rose (45, Borussia Dortmund), Roberto De Zerbi (42, Shakhtar Donetsk) and Ruben Amorim (37, Sporting CP) were featured in a similar piece in November 2020 and are for that reason not included. Carlo Ancelotti (62) is in his second stint at Real Madrid, while Max Allegri (54, Juventus), Stefano Pioli (56, AC Milan), Maurizio Sarri (63, Lazio) and Jose Mourinho (59, Roma) all have plenty of nous, while 62-year-old Luciano Spalletti took over Napoli in the summer. The tendency to go for experience is certainly prevalent in the European top leagues. The pressures of the media, criticism from fans and how to do deal with a demanding owner might also be better faced with some prior knowledge. Whereas young, promising coaches in their 30s often have fresher ideas, take greater tactical risks and connect better with millennial players, a more experienced leader will have found a formula that works through trial and error. No explanations since that would take too much time but would be happy to answer questions.There are pros and cons to either approach. Maybe it will be helpful for people trying to decide but bigball has had a tendency to make dramatic changes recently and it's also just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. Kinda bored, so making a quick tier list of *5s in the game.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |