Rafa Marquez is waiting for his chance. The Mexican coach, who is doing well in the Barcelona reserve team, expressed his opinion this Saturday after his team’s victory in Fuenlabrada (1-2), which puts them in the playoff positions for the second division.
“Now it’s up to the board of directors to choose the replacement, it’s in their hands. It is an opportunity to which you can not say no,” said the coach, whom Joan Laporta has always looked favorably on. The phrase came on the same day that Xavi Hernandez announced, after losing 3-5 at home to Villarreal, that he would not continue beyond June 30.
“You feel that many times there is a lack of respect”
Xavi explains his decision to step down at the end of the season pic.twitter.com/BbFMvKDcLT
? Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 28, 2024
A controversial photo
On November 26, just a day after Barcelona‘s anodyne draw at Vallecas, Laporta was in attendance to watch the team coached by Marquez.
That photo was analyzed from some sectors or from the famous azulgrana environment as a slap to Rafa and a touch to Xavi. It is true that Laporta does not usually see the reserve team, but also that day he was playing at Palamos, which is just 15 minutes away from the house that Joan has in S’Agaro, a town in the Girona area where he goes almost every weekend.
Compliments to the Mexican
Last summer, during an interview with ESPN, Laporta spoke highly of Marquez.
“Rafa, as a person is extraordinary and I am very happy that he is the coach of the second team. He manages with an iron hand and a silk glove, very similar to how he was when he was a player. He is serene, calm and makes decisions. He is a man who has had a very good season at Barca Atletic,” he said in that conversation.
And on the possibility of him being the coach of the main team in the future, the president indicated during that interview in July: “We’ll see about that (coaching the first team). We have a very good coach who is working hard to make Barcelona champions of the league again.
The replacement if Xavi leaves
According to Cadena Cope, during the last Christmas Cup, Laporta confirmed that Marquez would be Xavi‘s replacement in the first team if the Catalan left.
Cope revealed the president’s conversation with several attendees at the Christmas Cup. Helena Condis, a renowned journalist who covers Barcelona information, explained: “Laporta is delighted with Rafa Marquez‘s work and has made it very clear that if at some point Xavi decides to follow another path, then the Mexican coach would be the one chosen. He has no doubts about that”.
An experienced man is sought
In principle, the board of directors of the azulgrana team is looking to hire an experienced coach. They do not want new experiments with people who have not been in the elite.
In this sense, the option of Marquez could have fewer options, although no scenario can be ruled out.
Good role with the reserve team
For the moment, Marquez remains focused on Barca Atletic, which is fighting in Group I of the First RFEF. With Deportivo de la Coruna still to play this Sunday, the Catalans are 5th with 34 points. A situation that allows them to be in promotion positions to the silver division.
Ponferradina, Nastic, Celta B and Cultural are the only clubs that travel ahead of a Barca B team well worked by the Mexican coach, to whom the first team window could open in the future.
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