"BARÇA IS A CLUB THAT CHEWS PEOPLE UP AND SPITS THEM OUT." Those are the words of current (but not future) Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez. And on this episode of European Nights, Rog and New York Times Chief Soccer Correspondent Rory Smith deep dive into Xavi's transition from player to manager at Barcelona, how things took a turn for the worst this season, and why the club culture in Catalonia is so broken.

Then, Rog and Rory break down the unexpected career trajectory of one-time wunderkind and current Real Betis midfielder Isco before Rory gives his pick for which game he will be watching across the European slate this week (hint...there will be reindeer involved). All this and more on the latest European Nights.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Men in Blazers 02/20/24: European Nights with Rory Smith