Abel Xavier is a good guy to have on your team. He's played at the highest level for both club and country and knows what it takes to get there. Still, I was taken aback a bit by what Frank Yallop had to say about him.A colleague of mine actually pointed it out while we talked about the mess that is the Galaxy. Yallop was asked about leadership after the Galaxy lost to Tigres 3-0. He was asked what player he can count on to be the leader, and Yallop answered Xavier.
My colleague and I wondered, why? Why hadn't Yallop mentioned a player who has been with the club for longer than two months? Why hadn't he mentioned his captain or the 12-year veteran?
Leadership is an overlooked quality. Some teams have strong leaders who command respect in the locker room and help bridge the gap between the coaches and the players, someone who can whip a youngster into shape with one word or one look, who can back up his words with strong play. Guys like Jesse Marsch and Ante Razov come to mind, Ben Olsen, Diego Gutierrez...
Xavi is apparently that guy for the Galaxy, or at least the guy who Frank Yallop thought of first.
Here's audio of Xavi talking about the game against Chelsea. His accent is cool.
7 comments:
Speaking of leadership, who do you think is the leader for CUSA? I dunno mah self.
1. Marsch
1A. Razov
1B. Suarez
That's at least one problem they don't have.
I like this guy, you can tell he's really determined to bring this team to the next level. There's a sense of seriousness in his tone when he answers questions.
Not surprising he didn't mention Donovan. There's a reason why Bradley chose to rotate the captain's armband instead of just let LD have it.
I'm not surprised about Donovan not being named either - but not in a negative type of way.
Donovan is not the kind of in-your-face leader that players fear, etc. He has said that himself. He's not a talker. He does most of his leading on the field through his energetic play - which as we all know, is inconsistent. Coaches have given him the armband to try and help him get over that aspect of his game, to take the responsibility, and it's a learning experience for him. He's just turned 25.
He has become a much more consistent player on the national team level this year, both with and without the armband. He'll get there with the Galaxy - but he's not there yet, obviously, and now with the harsh limelight being shoved onto the Galaxy, I look for the armband to go to Beckham or even Xavier - not as disrespect to LD, but just as a part of the learning experience for him as he continues to mature. Let's face it, Beckham and Xavier are considerably older than Donovan and have been through a lot more pressure situations than Donovan has.
I would suspect that it might be difficult to find a leader from someone who's been on the team for more than 12 months. Both because most have been traded, and because the remaining players appear to have expressed quite a bit of frustration (Vagenas).
Xavier was an animal on Saturday vs. Chelsea. This is the best I've seen him play for the Gals.
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