Last November, two of the greatest sides in world football found themselves in pretty similar situations as they searched for a new manager to address a dire start to the new season.
At the end of the month, Manchester United finally pulled the trigger on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after their dismal defeat to Watford. Michael Carrick came in as caretaker before Ralf Rangnick arrived to replace him as interim until the end of the season.
By that time, Xavi was already weeks into his new role as Barcelona head coach, having arrived at the start of November to steady the sinking ship that had been left by Ronald Koeman.
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The fact Barcelona acted before the international break while United waited an extra two weeks already highlights a key difference between the ways in which both clubs are run, and the different levels of demands placed on them.
Barcelona were clear about what needed to change as they sacked Koeman and quickly went about identifying club legend Xavi as their number one choice for the managerial post. The blind faith in their former midfielder was a huge risk, which is looking like it will pay off. But crucially, it was still a swift decision that needed to be made.
By contrast, United remained unsure of what to do and had no plan whatsoever when they finally sacked Solskjaer, stumbling their way through the next days and weeks before they finally identified Rangnick as a short-term solution.
With no clear long-term plan, it did at least make sense to only give Rangnick the job until the end of the season, but there remains uncertainty about what his precise role will be at the end of it, and doubts about how much power he will actually wield at the club.
Xavi's start to life at the Nou Camp has been similar to that of Solskjaer's own run as caretaker manager at Old Trafford in 2019, with Barcelona's remarkable revival capped with a phenomenal 4-0 win over Real Madrid on Sunday. He might not end up being the long-term solution for the club, though it is hard to ignore the success the club is having after executing such a clear plan of action.
The 42-year-old was backed in the January transfer window to strengthen the positions he wanted to reinforce and was given trust by the club to go about his rebuild. The same cannot be said at United, where Rangnick wasn't backed to sign a holding midfielder in the winter window — despite identifying the clear need for one — with the club using the excuse of uncertainty surrounding their next permanent manager as a reason to hesitate over any firm decisions.
A key difference between the current situations at the respective clubs is that Barca were able to attract their No.1 target mid-season, whereas United's two leading candidates, Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino, were not available at the time of their own managerial change.
However, there is still an obvious difference between the ways the two clubs have gone about business, with United's lack of clarity and forward planning once again a worry ahead of the summer window.
Without a clear long-term strategy, it is impossible to find the right manager, and in turn, it is hard to find the right players too. Until they establish that it doesn't matter so much who is in charge of the club.
Barcelona look to have turned a corner after being proactive, while United find themselves going around in circles after being reactive.
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