Xavi, Klopp, Eriksson and the hypocritical treatment of managers

Three important football coaches have announced their imminent departure in recent days: Sven-Göran Eriksson, Jürgen Klopp and Xavi Hernández.

The first two were met with waves of emotional disbelief and appreciation as large numbers of people said, explicitly and implicitly, “We love you, we respect what you've done. This is going to leave a chasm In our lifes.”

Xavi's shocking announcement that he feels beaten, blamed and almost broken, leading him to terminate his contract at Barcelona in five months at the latest, has been met with criticism, impatience, schadenfreude and a boor: “OK, he’s gone… who’s next?”

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There are of course some differences between the three situations.

“Svennis” is a kind, gentle, interesting and extraordinarily successful Swede who won three European trophies (with IFK Göteborg and Lazio), was runner-up in three others, including the 1990 European Cup final against AC Milan, and won the Italian Cup four times. with three different clubs (Sampdoria, AS Roma, Lazio) and made Benfica champions of Portugal three times.

Eriksson, a man who, when I visited him at his lake house in southern Sweden, was hosting a family of Afghan asylum seekers in a cottage in his garden, announced that not only he was dying of incurable cancer, but had a year to live. the best.

Comments about how he was perceived peaked at the Swedish Sports Gala in Stockholm last week, when the great and the good stood up and continued to applaud when he took the stage, to the point that Eriksson, smiling and shy, had to silence them and, as he usually does, downplays things rather than playing to the gallery.

Let's get back to Sven in a moment.

Klopp's “farewell” was because the 56-year-old German wanted to take charge of his destiny, be honest and open with people long before his waning energy reached debilitating and threatening levels.

Here again, there was a completely justified and often very moving outburst of disbelief, disappointment, adoration and – above all – respect.

Klopp set new standards at Liverpool, imbued the club with his personality, and only a miser or a liar could disagree that he has been immensely good for football in England. We will miss him greatly when he leaves in June.

Xavi's announcement, the reasons and the reception were all noticeably different from the other two.

In recent times we have not only seen a rollercoaster ride in football (five matches in 13 days with a gross total of 29 goals, two wins and three defeats), but also a dive into the emotional strength and positivity of the Catalan who “celebrated” his 43rd birthday in the middle of this infernal competition during which his team showed constant fragility.

After telling local journalists that he started each day full of optimism, that he always saw the glass half full, that he accepted all criticism, mockery, attacks, memes with good humor, he suddenly chosen the afternoon before this weekend's game. excruciating 5-3 home defeat against Villarreal to say: “Maybe I'm the only one who really understands the reality of this club's situation.”

The words of someone who felt alone.

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Marcotti: Xavi departure announcement 'a hard blow' for Barcelona

Gab Marcotti reacts to Xavi's announcement that he will step down as Barcelona coach at the end of the season.

Once his team lost 5-3 after leading 3-2 six minutes into regulation, the mood changed dramatically. During the match he was warned again for his protests. He went for the lens of a television camera and declared, straight from the barrel, that the refereeing team which did not award Barcelona a penalty at 3-3 in the 89th minute was “shameful.

Be careful, the referees were right and Xavi was wrong.

Then, after the match, the Barça coach not only announced that he had decided to resign a year before the summer of 2025, when his contract ends – a deal that Barcelona renewed, improved and extended only 127 days ago – but he also used some very revealing and, in my opinion, damning phrases.

While saying he was making the announcement to try and change the dynamic of the team, to try to kick off a big season finale, etc., he added: “The feeling of being the coach of Barcelona is unpleasant and cruel – you almost always feel disrespected, that your efforts are not valued and that this job takes a huge toll on your mental health. It's a drain on your energy and, even though I'm a really positive guy, it gets to the point where you decide it makes no sense to continue.”

Now listen to me carefully. No legend of the game ever deserves a 'free pass' at a club once they become coach, president or otherwise. And it's in no way unfair to put Barcelona's final months under Xavi under the microscope of constructive criticism – not at all. But this is a guy who has not only been an inspiration for several years of the greatest and most successful football Barça has ever played, he also came back, took the culture off the pitch gutter training, restored competitive aggressiveness, won the title, met its main goal this season: passing the group stage of the Champions League and has a very positive “net” record in Classics.

These facts should all demand that, whether his coaching performance has stabilized or declined since winning two trophies last season, respect, fairness, decency and patience are all 100% guaranteed in the the way he is treated and talked about.

The general tone of reaction to his news and his words, on radio, television, newspapers and social media, was horrendous: dismissive, dismissive, critical and included most of the elements Xavi had despaired of during of these last two press conferences.

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Xavi reveals why he is leaving Barcelona

Xavi claims a 'change of direction' is needed when he leaves Barcelona at the end of the season.

In summary, through the reactions, the messages were that he reacted immaturely, in the heat of the moment. That if his intention was to help the team by leaving this summer, why not leave now. That he will probably be sacked at the first incident in the team's performance in the future. That players will no longer take his authority seriously. And of course there was then vulture speculation, through a multitude of names, as to who might be next – whether immediately or in the summer.

Very little time was spent actually “hearing” what Xavi had expressed, or appreciating it, or trying to counterbalance the fact that, perhaps, his problems of recent months are very far from his own responsibility .

I link Xavi's decision, and the way it was received, to Klopp's and Eriksson's announcements, because all three men are united in the scandalous treatment they had to endure at one point or another.

– Klopp's best Liverpool moments after shock announcement

They are emblematic of the disgusting trend in which the media, fans and even some in their own industry treat elite athletes as insensitive, expendable commodities – until they die, retire or win a tournament. great reward or trophy. Then, and only then, does everyone go into ecstasy.

Eriksson, especially in England, was constantly portrayed as an impeccable playboy. His private life became a topic not only for the front pages of the tabloids, but also began to dominate the back pages. I know, because we talked about it, that he felt embarrassed, humiliated, betrayed by certain people around him, hunted down.

Klopp, because under his leadership Borussia Dortmund then Liverpool lost two Champions League finals, a German Cup final, a Europa League final and a League Cup final in the space of five years between 2013 and 2018, was regularly called a bottleneck, a loser and someone who didn't quite have the “right” things. It was ridiculous, vindictive and intemperate. And that's wrong.

The German has been ridiculed and mocked for his relentless unwillingness to give up or tone down his answers on specific topics when he feels he, his players or his club are being ignored on certain serious issues about which he and they have strong feelings .

Now, after suddenly revealing that his Auf Wiedersehen The moment is imminent, everyone seems to have got things straight: Klopp is legendary, impressive, marking an era… a monster of the modern game in England.

The pendulum swings at leading figures while they are doing their job, then swings back when, as I said, they are sick, dying, dead, retire, win, or walk away in triumph. Mass hypocrisy.

Xavi added something else; he argued that Barcelona have a particular form of this disease: denigrating anyone when they are there (he named Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and former coach Ernesto Valverde) and then only liking or missing them once they are there. they leave. He knows that Pep Guardiola also left the club unhappy, exhausted, deeply bruised and underestimated.

So, to conclude with a little emphasis: the coach of the reigning Spanish champions, winners of the most surprising and unexpected La Liga title I can remember, who achieved the first of the goals set by his employers this season, who were offered and signed a better and longer contract four months ago, decided to resign due to the poisonous, vindictive and unappreciative environment around him.

Journalists, editors, media bosses, fans, former players and coaches have united to make manager firing an “entertainment” industry in itself – something that becomes a daily “hot topic”, one that coaches are forced to talk and, worse, worry every week. A blood sport.

For my part, I find it disgusting. And whether or not Xavi is the right man to fill Barcelona's current needs, I fundamentally object to anything that combines to make him say he's had enough.

I think if you asked Klopp and Eriksson whether or not they agree with me, their answers would be firm and clear.