:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elfinanciero/CKV7XTVPLREMNBN4I6BZZFVKVY.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Barcelona President Considers Rafael Márquez as Possible Replacement for Xavi Hernández")
Barcelona led by Xavi Hernández has added negative results in recent days, including the defeat in the last match of the Regular Phase of the Champions League. Given this situation, the club president, Joan Laporta, has already considered a possible replacement in case Xavi leaves the team.
Spanish journalist Helena Condis, from the program El Partido de Cope, shared on her X account that Laporta will keep Xavi until 2025 as stipulated in his contract. However, if his departure was necessary, Rafael Márquez would be the replacement for the Spanish coach.
Various Spanish media have confirmed the information, and José Álvarez revealed that during the Christmas dinner of the club’s directors it was decided that, in the event that Xavi does not qualify for the quarterfinals of the Champions League and does not defend the League title, They would bring up Rafael Márquez as a substitute, since it would not represent a very high economic cost.
What is Rafa Márquez’s position at Barcelona?
Currently, Rafael Márquez is technical director of Barcelona Athletic, that is, of the club’s subsidiary team or known as Barcelona B due to its nature as the entity’s second team, among which players such as Gavi, Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta have emerged.
In the 2022-23 season, the club gave him the management of the subsidiary in his first experience in charge of a professional club, after going through the youth ranks of Real Sociedad.
Márquez arrived in 2022 to take the team to fourth place in the third division, he was eliminated by Real Madrid-Castilla in the semifinal to get a ticket to the Second Division of Spain. In the Mexican’s first season at the helm, he finished with 61 points and a total of 16 wins, 13 draws and 9 losses.
At the end of the first half of the current season, the subsidiary has 28 points in 17 games and is the sixth team in Group 1.
Rafa Márquez was an important piece as a Barcelona player, where he won 2 Champions Leagues, 4 Spanish Leagues and a Copa del Rey.
Current situation of Barcelona
Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona did not close 2023 in the best way, winning one game in the last three in the League and losing the last game in the Champions League group stage.
Although they already qualified for the round of 16 of the European tournament, the team was criticized for losing to Antwerp, the fifth place in the Belgian League.
The club is in third position in the general table with 38 points, 6 units less than first place.
2023-12-21 00:07:07
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