Cruyff, Xavi And The Blaugrana Way
It all began with Johan Cruyff and his radical way of thinking!
A student of the Rinus Michels school of football, Cruyff was known to baffle opponents with his unpredictable movement. Cruyff spent 6 of his playing years at FC Barcelona. He returned to the club, in 1988, for another 8 seasons ?this time as their coach.
What Cruyff had, in terms of coaching, was the reintroduction of otal Football? which had lost its way along the years.
However, it wasn that Total Football had vanished! It was merely hidden amongst the many variations that came through. Most coaches tried to implement the system but the lack of capable players was the biggest hurdle. What they ended up with was the best compromise!
THE CRUYFF EFFECT
At Barcelona, Cruyff went on to become the most successful Blaugrana manager of all time! He won the La Liga title four years in a row, the 1989 UEFA European Cup Winners?Cup, the 1990 Copa del Rey, the 1992 UEFA European Cup & European Super Cup as well as 3 Supercopa de Espana titles ?11 in all.
It wasn the titles, however, that made Cruyff such a big hit at Barcelona. It was the style of play and the training methods that he employed, which made waves. It was the introduction of a ondos?style of training!
For the first time ever, players form a circle and passed the ball amongst them. A single player, in the middle, would attempt to stop their passes. As play went on, the circle would get tighter, reducing space and time on ball.
Cruyff knew that football always began with a ball and for a team to succeed, it was imperative that the ball be in their possession. He began developing a group of midfielders who understood the style of play. The development, though, didn happen at the highest level. While Cruyff did bring in players like Josep Guardiola, Goikoetxea, Txiki Begiristain, Jose Mari Bakero, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario, Gheorghe Hagi and Hristo Stoichkov, the actual development took place at the junior levels.
That is where players like Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Andres Iniesta,Coach Bags Outlet, Mikel Arteta and Luis Milla were being trained. Cruyff philosophy was to create intelligent midfielders, not work horses. His players would pass the ball, think on the go and run that extra mile just to give his team the edge.
Thus, a avi?was born!
XAVI ?THE WONDER YEARS
In 1991, at the age of 11, Xavi joined the Barcelona school of football. Despite being an RCD Espanyol fan, Xavi was playing for arch rivals Barcelona, and playing well. By the time he was 14, he was a regular part of the Barcelona youth squad.
The philosophy and style of Cruyff football, proven at the highest level, had trickled down to Xavi. He trained in the Total Football philosophy! He trained like the Dutch!
Along with the likes of Iniesta and Fabregas, Xavi was part of a batch of young Barcelona starlets who would rise to the top, playing beautiful football. It was inevitable that the day this batch reaches the highest level of football, Barcelona would again rise as a European superpower.
WHAT HE DOES
It has to be said, when we talk of Xavi, it isn so much about him as it is about what he does, that makes the news. Unlike players like Lionel Messi, Kaka or Cristiano Ronaldo, the team doesn visibly revolve around Xavi. On the pitch, however, things are completely different.
In 2001, once Pep Guardiola left Barcelona, Xavi became the core of the team. A party-hating fanatic of the basics of the game, Xavi is surely one of the toughest oppositions to deal with. Think about it ?he doesn do flamboyant tricks, he doesn try for improbable passes, he doesn run at defences and he doesn make mistakes (too often). How do you deal with that?
Xavi has stayed out of the spotlight when his team wins, but it is his coach who will notice his contribution. The coach knows that without Xavi, there is no midfield dominance, no ball possession, no goals and therefore, no wins.
Critics even went onto say that Lionel Messi failure at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was due to the absence of Xavi, or a similar player. While Diego Maradona brought Juan Sebastian Veron into the team, for just that, it was probably 6 years too late for El Braga.
HIS STYLE
With Xavi, it isn about the darting runs or lighting reflexes. He has a lazy, almost nonchalant,Coach Alexandra Bags, way of doing things. If Lionel Messi is considered as the epitome of flamboyance & energy bundles and Juan Roman Riquelme for lazy elegance, then Xavi would fall somewhere in the middle, leaning more towards Riquelme.
The key factor that dictates his style is his clarity of thought. A calm mind allows him to process information quickly and well. His options fall out clearly and decision making becomes extremely easy. However, tiredness can dull the mind! Which is probably why Xavi runs the most, even in that Barcelona team.
His ability to outlast others, while keeping the game simple and basic, is absolutely astounding.
A COACH DREAM
What is the most a coach would want from his central midfield playmaker? One, that he shouldn lose the ball too often; two, that he should not tire out too easily; and three, he should hold possession, more often than not. With Xavi, you get a few extras!
He is a nightmare, for keepers, from set-pieces. Not only can he whip the corners and freekicks into dangerous areas, he is almost perfect with his direct shots on goal. Give him 3 yards of space, anywhere between 20 ?30 yards from goal, and chances are you be restarting the game from the centre. While with the current Barcelona squad, his scoring abilities aren called upon too often, Xavi is incredible with his vision.
He picks out players with precision! Whether over defences, on their side or through them, Xavi passes have almost always found teammates irrespective of the conditions, the ball or even the pressure on him. His ability to find teammates and maintain possession has probably gone up a notch from Pep Guardiola playing days as well.
HIS KEY SKILLS
Anything Xavi touches, turns to gold. An idol for those looking to become playmakers, Xavi work-rate surpasses all his skills. It isn his ability to find teammates that makes him dangerous. It is his ability to do so for 120 minutes, without tiring, which makes him lethal.
His passing is sublime, simple and to the point. You won see many back-flicks, Rabonas or bicycle kicks when you observe Xavi. What you will see is precision, control and unbeatable vision. His ability to stick to the basics makes his passing hard to believe. We have all seen Cristiano Ronaldo back-heel, step-over and juggle his way out of trouble.
Xavi makes it seem like a waste of time and energy!
He ambles along, even under pressure, before snapping a brilliant pass to a teammate. His energy on the field attracts opposing players, giving them a false sense of ability to overpower the lazy midfielder. However, this attraction causes untoward movement and therefore, leaves spaces at the back.
When you have players like Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Andres Iniesta feeding off of you, there is no dearth of players to pass to.
LOW MISTAKE COUNT
As an opponent, the most annoying thing about Xavi is that he rarely gives the ball away. He usually doesn dribble so there little chance of tackling him. He holds on to the ball for little time, again no time for tackles. His passing is almost immaculate,coach purses, giving little opportunity for interceptions. His vision is almost perfect, ensuring the teammate who gets the pass, has time to maintain possession.
Basically, Xavi makes very few wrong decisions!
While another similar player, Andrea Pirlo, is struggling with a low-on-form AC Milan side, Xavi teammates make it easy with their understanding of the Barcelonatyle of football.
Again, an out-of-form Pirlo will need to work his way back on the training pitch. Xavi can do it within the game itself. His style of sticking-to-the-basics is all a player needs to do when out of touch. So many times have we seen Cristiano Ronaldo lose the ball, when placed under pressure! Xavi simply drops lower and passes it around to get his touch back.
Sounds simple? Yes, but only when you have teammates like Iniesta and Sergio Busquets who can easily drop into his playmaking role up front.
HIS FLAWS
Like any player, Xavi has his flaws. His height and speed are a hindrance on crosses or quick breaks. However, that is why Barcelona have the likes of Ibrahimovich, Pedro and Messi in their ranks. All Xavi has to do is get the ball to them. Which he can with aplomb!
Also, Barcelona style of play demands that the ball stay along the floor. Another asset that allows Xavi to excel without requiring his poor heading ability being brought into play!
Xavi has also been blamed for not shooting enough, at times. He has had seasons when his scoring has soared, but Xavi isn the 10 to 15 goals a season man. He will score 5 or 8, but they will be at crucial moments for sure!
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Xavi is a finished product of the Barcelona factory! He plays to his strengths, keeps it simple and controls the game. He isn the kind whol capture headlines and make waves, but when it comes to value to the team, there is none greater!
Whether playing for Barcelona or Spain, Xavi presence in the midfield makes all the difference. He rotates the ball and maintains composure under pressure. He ensures that the ball stays with his team for almost 60 to 70% of the game, a huge figure at any level of the game.
Players like Lionel Messi and Pedro feed off of his passing and movement. They move as they like and Xavi finds them.
A style of football that Cruyff introduced, in 1989, got a grip on Barcelona and their style of play. All youngsters coming through their ranks have played in the same format. This means, they join the senior team already aware of the requirements at the highest level.
After Ajax, Barcelona have the highest rate of promoting junior & reserve team members into the first team squad, amongst the top European clubs. This ensures that until Barcelona create a replacement, Xavi will be the undisputed king in the heart of the Blaugrana team. www.coachsoutletstoreonlineus.com:
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