Everything
points that, at the end of the season, Xavi Hernández will leave Barça.
"It's okay to leave. It's old" or "He is not useful for this
modern game" are some of the things we've heard in recent times. I will
not make any assessment on them. It's wasting time. It's that simple.
It is
true that no one will remember Xavi as the player who ran faster than anyone, who
jumped more than anyone, who recovered balls, who put the foot making a huge
effort to prevent the ball went into the goal after the goalkeeper was
overcame, that... nothing. From all this, nothing.
Nor he
won't remembered for three "nutmegs" on the same play or, dribbling
one player after another or, for his records as a scorer. Not Either.
About football
it has always said that it was a matter of space and time. The one who
dominates this, dominates football. And this is SIR XAVI (Yes, in capital
letters, as the "Master" Puyal named him). Xavi is football. It is
the "fucking boss" of space and time. Always with the GPS in position,
scanning all the possibilities before receiving the ball. "What he does is
very easy," said some. Easy? You mean it's easy to play 1-2 touches almost
always choosing the best option? No. Not a chance. What Xavi does is very
complicated. If it was that easy, the world would be full of Xavis. And it is
not. For some reason it will be.
Now
turn to play short. Now, long. Now, to the right. Now, to the left. Now,
forward. Now back. Now, we accelerate. Now, we stop. Now, I approach. Now, I go
away. Space and time. Always, at all times. Reading the match and the play as
few players in football history. Always knowing what it is most interested for
the team.
"The
false 9" is not understood without Xavi. "When you see Leo in this position between the lines, pass him the
ball," said Pep to Xavi the day of 2-6 at the Bernabéu. And Xavi, searching for Messi. And when he saw him where
he had been told, PAM! Because, of course, for much intelligence you have, if
you can not play it ... and Xavi, plus intelligence, has quality. Tons of
quality that many people have never seen or understood.
"Move
the ball to move the opposition," says the manual of positional playing.
And Xavi got tired of playing the ball. Towards hither and thither. Always with
the idea of disrupting the contrary, to find the spaces between the lines, to
find the place inside pass and then again, PAM! Take, Leo, finish. And, Leo, if
he gets the ball on the edge of box, he finishes. That's why he is the best in
the world.
"Do
not touch if they don't come" also the manual says. And Xavi was running
with the ball, until an opponent was coming to look for him and, then, a soft
touch and an opponent less. And a line overpassed. And, closer to the
opponent's box. Space and time. Every Time.
Xavi,
besides breaking many lines too, with Iniesta and Messi broke another football
"myth". The small and technical players. Especially among the
"6" and "8" showed that, for playing in midfield, you did
not need to have 1,80m. nor weigh 80kg. And, when they linked with the
"10"... Those 3v2 near the opponent's box dizzy everyone until, PAM!,
once again. Take, Leo, finish
"The
ball does not get tired, let's make run the ball," also the manual says.
And Xavi made the ball run at a crazy speed. So much that one day, which Barça
won 4-0 Bayern in the Champions League, Van Bommel (former Barça and Bayern at
the time), when asked after the game why they had not made almost no fouls, he
replied "Is that nobody was there. When we arrived, there was no ball or
otherwise. It was like chasing ghosts".
It will
take years to see one like him. Not at Barça, no. In the world. No players like
him appear every day. There is no plenty of Architects and Engineers with this
style. No people have mastered spatial concepts like the one of Terrassa. A
player does not have 7 Leagues, 3 Champions, 2 World Club Cups, 2 European
Championships and 1 World Club, playing as a starter, if you don't have
something special.
Ladies
and gentlemen, stand up and hats off. With all of you, the "Lord of space
and time": SIR XAVI!
Jordi
Pascual
You can
follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP
