Manchester United News: FC Barcelona seems to have hit the jackpot with Xavi Hernandez. The Spanish manager seems to have turned the Blaugrana’s fortunes around. But United can learn a lot from this managerial acquisition as well.
With the summer transfer window approaching, Ralf Rangnick’s interim is close to ending. But there is still no news about the next Manchester United head coach. Here are a few things that the Red Devils need to learn from Barcelona that could help them with their next manager!
Both Manchester United and Barcelona changed their managers in November 2021. But the Blaugrana made the best use of “time”. The Spanish giants sacked Ronald Koeman before the international break, hence giving them time to secure the replacement.
The Red Devils on the other hand had to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a 4-1 loss to Watford. The Manchester United board took this sudden decision after initially backing the Norwegian.
Manchester United News: Signing at the right time is important
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Owing to this, Manchester United had to make Michael Carrick an interim manager while they searched for their next manager. This whole process took around 15 days before Ralf Rangnick eventually took charge of the club.
If United would have made the signing after the 5-0 loss to Liverpool (in October, before the international break) things could have been different. Antonio Conte was potentially interested in working at Old Trafford. But Tottenham Hotspur managed to snap him up within a few days.
Backing the manager is very important!
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When Xavi Hernandez joined Barcelona, the club was in severe debt. To add to this, the Blaugrana were on the cusp of exiting the Champions League and were also struggling in LaLiga.
But even though the board knew that Barcelona would struggle to win a trophy in the 2021/22 season, they trusted Xavi. Joan Laporta, the club president also backed Xavi in the transfer window!
Barcelona signed Dani Alves, Adama Traore, Ferran Torres, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window. These players were signed based on what Xavi Hernandez wanted at the club.
Fast forward to March 2022, all of the mentioned players have played a crucial part in Barcelona’s revival. Hence trusting their manager’s instincts has helped Barcelona.
Ralf Rangnick himself wanted to sign players in January. But Manchester United eventually did add a single player to their team. Rather the Red Devils let key players like Antony Martial and Donny Van De Beek leave on loan.
The United board has been guilty of not listening to their managers in the past as well. Jose Mourinho was very vocal about what he wanted before his eventual sacking. Hence the Manchester United board should trust their manager’s tactics and sign the players that they want. This could certainly help the club return to the top once again.
