Chelsea are once again conducting a managerial search heading into the summer, as the sixth permanent manager of the BlueCo ownership era will land on Stamford Bridge’s touchline ahead of the 2026–27 season.
A number of potential candidates have emerged ever since Chelsea parted ways with Liam Rosenior after a 106-day tenure. Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Fulham’s Marco Silva are among the names most linked with the Chelsea job, particularly because of their proven Premier League track record.
But a handful of other candidates unknown to England’s top-flight are also in the running. According to The Independent, Chelsea are considering former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández for the vacant managerial role. The Spaniard has been out of a job since he left the Catalans at the end of the 2023–24 season, and it’s been widely reported he’s interested in returning to the touchlines.
Despite a rather unceremonious exit from Barça, Xavi did lead a team in turmoil and full of young talents to a league title in 2022–23, a feat that sounds particularly appealing for a team like Chelsea.
Here’s how Chelsea could lineup under Xavi if the Spanish legend is appointed at Stamford Bridge.
Xavi Hernandez’s Preferred Formation
As you can probably guess, the foundation of Xavi’s managerial principles come from the Barcelona school of soccer. Between his time as a player and manager, Xavi spent 20 years with Barça’s first team, and he’s one of the poster child's of the Blaugrana trademark style.
Like most Barça school managers, Xavi almost exclusively sets up in a 4-3-3 formation where attack-minded soccer through ball-possession is the core principle. However, there’s nuances to Xavi’s style that vary from some of his biggest influences, namely Pep Guardiola.
Creating and exploiting space as quickly as possible with a direct approach was a key characteristic of Xavi’s Barça—a trait resembling Hansi Flick’s style more than Guardiola’s, for example. At the height of his tenure, Barcelona operated in a 3-2-5 formation in possession, with one of the wingers drifting centrally to create a box midfield and a fullback overlapping to provide the width.
Defensively, Xavi likes his team to be compact and funnel opponents to the wings. Although he’s not a defensive-minded manager, he did prioritize a stout defense significantly more than other Barça managers, including his successor. In 2022–23, with a back-four primarily formed of Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen and Alejandro Balde, Barcelona conceded just 20 goals in La Liga, the second lowest amount in Spain’s top-flight during the 21st century.
Although there are some differences, mainly in the roles players in specific positions are asked to perform, Xavi’s style is not too dissimilar to what Enzo Maresca tried to employ at Chelsea. So there’s already a sort of familiar precedent many Chelsea players could fall back on were Xavi to arrive.
How Xavi Hernández Could Set Up at Chelsea
GK: Gregor Kobel—Despite recurring investments at the goalkeeper position during the BlueCo era, Chelsea remain searching for a truly world-class presence between the posts. Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, who’s been linked with Chelsea in the past, would be just that. Unlike Chelsea’s current options, the Swiss international is also a very capable distributor from the back, which is essential for Xavi’s build-up style. It could cost a significant fee, but Kobel would be a worthy investment.
RB: Reece James—Injuries have derailed James’s career, but when fully fit, he’s undeniably one of the best right backs in the world. He might not have durability to constantly overlap down the wing anymore, but he’s still a fabulous playmaker from deep. Chelsea’s captain remains a dream of a talent for any incoming manager.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—Despite the billions Chelsea have spent in outfield players during the BlueCo era, Enzo Fernández is the only outfield player with more minutes played this season than academy graduate Chalobah. The Englishman might have a low ceiling, but he’s a proven Premier League talent.
CB: Levi Colwill—Chelsea have sorely missed Colwill, who’s been out the entire season after tearing his ACL last summer. He remains a core part of Chelsea’s future, and the left-footed center back can continue to develop as a stout defender, with his quality on the ball already stellar.
LB: Alejandro Balde—Xavi oversaw Balde’s breakout at Barcelona, taking over at left back from club legend Jordi Alba and making his World Cup debut in 2022. Current Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella has not so subtly expressed he’d be interested in returning to Barcelona, and with Balde potentially on the outs, a swap could be beneficial for all parties. Cucurella has routinely played as an inverted fullback in recent years, Balde meanwhile is the definition of an overlapping fullback. The latter matches Xavi’s style much better.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—The Ecuadorian will anchor Chelsea’s midfield regardless of which manager comes in. At his best, he’s arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world and an extremely valuable piece for any system.
CM: Cole Palmer—It might appear strange to envision Cole Palmer as a central midfielder, but in possession, he’d occupy his usual space as an attacking midfielder that constantly looks to operate and exploit the right half-space. Xavi used Pedri primarily as a No. 10 in this exact position in possession during his time at Barça, with Sergio Busquets and either Frenkie de Jong or Sergi Roberto operating deeper in midfield. Palmer, who likes to drop deep to receive the ball, could thrive in this system.
CM: Enzo Fernández—Fernández’s Chelsea future could be uncertain, but if the Argentine stays, then woking under one of the greatest midfielders the sport has ever seen could do wonders for his career. Fernández would likely operate closer to the base under Xavi, like he did for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup and during the opening months of his Chelsea career. Despite his development as a box-crasher over the past two seasons, Xavi could unlock Fernández as a deep-lying playmaker, something many have hoped for in recent years.
RW: Pedro Neto—Neto’s speed and ability to exploit space are traits Xavi will enormously value. It might be frustrating for Chelsea fans, but the Portuguese can thrive in this context. Still, Estêvão could easily take his place here.
ST: João Pedro—A striker just as capable of creating chances for others as he is of being a prolific goalscorer. The Brazilian will lead the line next season hoping to build on what’s been a strong debut term at Stamford Bridge.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Chelsea Could Line Up If They Appoint Xavi Hernandez As Manager.
