With Amorim sacked, Manchester United scramble for a manager. Can Xavi handle the pressure and restore glory?
On Monday morning, Manchester United announced it had relieved Ruben Amorim of his managerial duties, 14 months after he joined the club from Portuguese side Sporting CP.
At the moment, former United player Darren Fletcher is taking charge of the first team as caretaker. There is talk that, whether it is Fletcher himself, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, or Michael Carrick, the club will go for an interim manager until the end of the season
That could be with a view to managers such as Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, or Carlo Ancelotti potentially being available after the World Cup in the summer. The market right now looks fairly bleak.
Nevertheless, whether now or in the summer, you would assume United will target their long-term, permanent manager (or head coach). So, who could be the next man?
The pressure of managing United is like no other in England. Due to the club's size, there is an expectation to win every game. Yet, they have not done that for 13 years. So you have the expectations of the biggest club in the country whilst dealing with a squad that is close to mid-table in terms of quality.
Although there is no doubt that Amorim is a very talented coach, it is clear that the pressure of coaching United was eating him up. His mannerisms and body language compared to when he took the job were night and day.
So, the club needs a talented coach who can develop players and raise both the team's floor and ceiling. But they also need someone who can handle the circus that comes with managing United.
This narrows down the candidates to one. Indeed, the only manager that fits both of those categories is Xavi.
It can be easy to forget the job that Xavi did at Barcelona. He took over in November 2021, with the club in ninth place, months after the shock and sudden departure of Lionel Messi. From there, he was able to guide Barcelona to a second-place finish, beating Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu in the process.
Then, in his first full season, Xavi won the club's first league title since 2019, with a very attractive style of play, and a rock solid defence - with just 20 goals conceded the entire league campaign.
Then, in his first full season, Xavi won the club's first league title since 2019, with a very attractive style of play and a rock-solid defence, with just 20 goals conceded the entire league campaign.
Although the 23/24 season did not go as hoped, Barca still finished in second place, with 85 points. They were 2-0 up on aggregate vs Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals, before a red card cost them.
It is clear that Xavi is a manager who can get results and win silverware. The coaching side of things is clearly something he is more than capable of. Which leads us to everything that happens off the pitch.
With Barcelona, you have a rare example of a club that has more off-the-pitch noise than United. The Spanish media have a reputation for being brutal. It is well documented that it was the press in Spain who drove Pep Guardiola out of Barcelona. He has never coached in Spain since.
With Barcelona, you have a rare example of a club that has more off-the-pitch noise than United. The Spanish media have a reputation for being brutal. It is well documented that it was the press in Spain who drove Pep Guardiola out of Barcelona. He has never coached in Spain since.
Yet, by the time he had left the club, he had built a team capable of challenging for and winning trophies. So, under all the pressure that came with the job, Xavi was able to completely rebuild the side, despite consistent media scrutiny.
As a bonus, Xavi speaks excellent English, so there is nothing to worry about there. At 45, he is a very capable, proven coach who still has much room to grow. All in all, he feels like the perfect candidate.