Comparing Xavi’s Barca record with last 6 bosses to reach 50 games

Michael Lee • 17 Oct 2022

Xavi Hernandez has reached 50 games as Barcelona manager but how does his record over his first half-century of matches compare to previous Barca bosses? We’ve crunched the numbers to find out…

On November 6 2021, Barcelona hired their legendary midfielder Xavi to replace sacked manager Ronald Koeman and, they hoped, lead them into a new era.

It was not an easy task for the World Cup winner, who was so successful over his 17 years as a Barcelona player; since Xavi left Barca in 2015 to play for and then manage Qatari club Al Sadd, Barcelona had dug themselves into a deep financial hole.

But he certainly knew what to say at his unveiling to strengthen the bond with fans, if it needed strengthening.

Standing on the Camp Nour turf, he stated: “This is the biggest club in the world and I’m going to work hard to reach your expectations. Barcelona can’t accept a draw or a defeat. We have to win all the games.

“I come prepared. My DNA didn’t change. We need to take charge, have the ball, create opportunities, be intense. We have a mission to rescue many things that were lost.”

Results since have been mixed. Barcelona recovered from last season’s slow start to finish second in La Liga but Xavi couldn’t prevent them from dropping into the Europa League and couldn’t even reach the semi-finals of Europe’s secondary competition.

This was followed by a summer of heavy investment with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde arriving for massive fees.

But that has prevented another mediocre season thus far. Barca are on the verge of Champions League elimination at the group stages and lost yesterday’s El Clasico to Real Madrid.

“I would tell the fans to keep believing. We have a very good team that has to give us joy. They [the fans] have to support Xavi, and we will give that support to him,’ owner Joan Laporta told Spanish newspaper outlet Marca.

“Xavi has shown that he is a man who knows the club and the system perfectly, apart from being an excellent person. Things will get better, and he will give us many successes.

“Xavi has a virtue that no one I’ve met has — he always sees the positive side. It’s something I’ve always liked. I told him to move forward, not to think about the Champions League and focus on La Liga.”

But does Xavi deserve the backing of his owner? We’ve compared his first 50 matches in charge with the previous six managers that also reached the milestone to determine his impact at Camp Nou.

Xavi

Games: 50
Won: 28
Drawn: 11
Lost: 11

Goals for: 94
Goals against: 52
Clean sheets: 18

Points per game: 1.9
Win rate: 56%
Loss rate: 22%

"We need to continue to believe, to keep working"

— Xavi pic.twitter.com/mu8mo7hY5H

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 17, 2022

Ronald Koeman

Games: 50
Won: 33
Drawn: 7
Lost: 10

Goals for: 116
Goals against: 52
Clean sheets: 18

Points per game: 2.12
Win rate: 66%
Loss rate: 20%

Ernesto Valverde

Games: 50
Won: 36
Drawn: 11
Lost: 3

Goals for: 117
Goals against: 26
Clean sheets: 30

Points per game: 2.38
Win rate: 72%
Loss rate: 6%

Luis Enrique

Games: 50
Won: 42
Drawn: 3
Lost: 5

Goals for: 144
Goals against: 29
Clean sheets: 26

Points per game: 2.58
Win rate: 84%
Loss rate: 10%

The MSN link had Barcelona at their very best 😍

Just imagine if they get reunited 🍿 pic.twitter.com/o3qSBli3uQ

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 20, 2019