Barcelona have reportedly identified Mikel Arteta as a potential successor to current boss Xavi. The Spanish giants are currently in the midst of an inconsistent season. While he has won 10 of his first dozen LaLiga games, he has also been knocked out of the Champions League.
Group C of the Champions League was widely regarded as the “group of death”. After all, the group consisted of Barça, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. These three massive teams failed to advance to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. It turns out that Barça would be the one that would be left out.
This is not the first time in recent memory that Barca have struggled in the Champions League group stage. They also finished third in their group last season. Xavi was introduced as the club’s head coach in November 2021. He was sidelined for the last two group stage matches of that season. Barça could not win any of the two games.
As a result, Barça was sent to the Europa League. Xavi sailed to tough wins in the Round of 16 against Napoli and Galatasaray. However, Barça fell in the quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt. The German club won the Europa League.
Barcelona sees Arsenal’s success with Mikel Arteta
If Barca continue to struggle during the current campaign, they could turn their attention to Mikel Arteta. The former Barça player has led Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners have also qualified from their group for the Europa League knockout rounds.
Sport claims that Barca officials like what they see of Arteta at Arsenal. He not only has his team performing on the field, but the young coach is also in control of his locker room. He has shown that he is not afraid to take a stand with difficult personalities within his team.
Barca supposedly have a plan to keep Xavi at the club for many years. However, poor performances throughout the current campaign could change these plans. So the LaLiga giants are reportedly keeping an eye on Arteta in case they need to make a change.
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