Restoring Barcelona's status as Spain's leading force was not enough to wrap Xavi Hernandez in an invincibility cloak.
The former Barca midfielder oversaw the club's La Liga triumph last season amid the backdrop of continued continental failure, and an indifferent 2023/24 campaign has rendered Xavi's position at the club vulnerable.
Barca's emphatic defeat to Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final, a year removed from their impressive success in the competition over their Clasico rivals, depicted yet another power shift at the summit of Spanish football.
Despite Girona's out-of-nowhere majesty, Madrid are expected to regain the La Liga crown with Barca unlikely to even challenge. Xavi has already admitted that a trophy-less 2023/24 campaign could spell the end of managerial tenure in Catalonia, although the boss must harbour hopes of Copa del Rey success.
Barca's turbulent campaign thus far suggests serenity isn't around the corner, and talk regarding a Xavi successor is starting to intensify.
Here's how 90min ranks five potential candidates for the Barcelona job.
5. Jose Mourinho
Mourinho's history with Barcelona is extensive and complicated. The Portuguese first arrived at the club as an assistant with Sir Bobby Robson in 1996, spending four years in Catalonia.
He'd later interview for the job in 2008 before Pep Guardiola took charge, although the 'Special One' would later suggest he was "never close" to taking the job.
Mourinho would then play the role of antagonist after masterminding an unforgettable defeat of Pep's Barca in the 2009/10 Champions League semi-finals. After guiding Inter to the treble that season, he duelled bitterly with the Blaugrana as Real Madrid boss - eventually ending Barca's domestic dominance in 2011/12.
Mourinho's unemployed status means some have talked up the possibility of the all-time great coach returning to the Camp Nou, but it'd just be wrong on so many levels.
"It is clear that I will end my career without having coached Barca," Mourinho said following Inter's semi-final triumph in 2010.
4. Rafael Marquez
Barcelona could go down the route they chose in 2008 by employing the current incumbent of Barcelona Atletic.
Their gamble paid off 16 years ago when they promoted Guardiola to lead the senior team, but it'd certainly be a risk to offer Rafa Marquez a similar pathway.
The former Barcelona defender spent seven years at the club and is undeniably respected in Catalonia, but Marquez hasn't quite shown with the reserve side that he's a top coach in the making. He's done an admirable job, that's for sure, and he'll undoubtedly be considered for Xavi's role, but there are superior, more experienced options on the table.
Marquez's current job is his first in senior management.
3. Imanol Alguacil
If Joan Laporta opts to steer away from the 2008 route, he wouldn't need to look far for an external option. Spain is currently blessed with an abundance of coaching talent, and Real Sociedad's Imanol should certainly be under consideration.
The 52-year-old has worked wonders in San Sebastian since taking over in 2018. In 2021, Imanol guided Sociedad to their first major trophy since 1987 as they lifted the Copa del Rey. Then, in 2022/23, the club achieved their highest points tally in La Liga since 2009/10 as they returned to the Champions League.
Imanol's stylish Sociedad proved to be one of the standout teams of the group stage as they bested last season's finalists for top spot in Group D.
While devoted to Sociedad and bereft of the Catalonian connections Barca typically opt for, his methods are synonymous with the most swashbuckling iterations of contemporary Barcelona outfits.
2. Michel
The idiosyncrasies of Girona have thrust them into shock title contention.
Michel is bound to be considered by a litany of clubs this summer no matter how the 2023/24 season concludes for Girona. After guiding the club back into La Liga in 2021, the 48-year-old Spaniard is now at the forefront of a La Liga title bid.
Nobody quite knows how it's come about, but Michel's coaching has doubtlessly been pivotal. Girona's ordered chaos and relentless fluidity is the manager's doing, and they're exceptional at gaining superiorities across the pitch.
Their swift evolution from counter-attacking specialists last term into Man City-like controllers this season has been extraordinary, and Laporta caught a glimpse of their brilliance first-hand when Girona made the short trip across Catalonia in December before beating Barcelona 4-2.
The Madrid-born Michel is said to be learning Catalan in a bid to further embrace the culture, and his Catalonian stay could be prolonged outside of Girona beyond 2023/24.
1. Thiago Motta
Barca's tendency to hire those they're familiar with means Motta must be considered a leading contender should Xavi get the boot.
The elegant Italian midfielder spent eight years at Barcelona as a player having graduated from La Masia. His on-pitch shrewdness meant he's long been regarded as a stellar coach in the making, and Motta is currently fulfilling that trajectory.
His misunderstood ideas were once ridiculed, and it's taken Motta some time to wander into mainstream prominence. The Italian's pragmatism guided Spezia to unlikely Serie A survival in 2021/22, and he's since been able to spread his wings at Bologna.
Motta has transformed a middling outfit into a bunch of dreamers; one that harbours hopes of playing in Europe next season. There's a Mourinho edge to his ideals, although Motta's philosophy is doubtlessly synonymous with Barca's DNA.
His work in Liguria has convinced many that Motta is one of the next great coaches in the making, and Barcelona would be wise to give serious thought to the Bologna boss.
