He paid for a genius midfielder, he collected 25 trophies with Barcelona. As a coach, he has two so far (the Spanish title and the Super Cup last year) and it doesn’t look like much for another one at the moment. “If I hadn’t won the league a year ago, I wouldn’t be here anymore,” Xavi said.
A current look at the league table: fourth-placed Barcelona is eight points behind leaders Girona. True, Xavi’s boys have one game to spare. However, the weekend crash in the Super Cup scared the fans much more – 1:4 with Real! The Catalan giant was losing by two goals after ten minutes and did not get into the match.
It’s hard to wonder that even the fighter Xavi has dark thoughts. It is speculated that he has already lost the trust of at least part of the cabin. “I’m here to bring something to Barcelona,” he emphasized. “If I don’t succeed, I’ll say goodbye.”
Do you remember? Barcelona bought its icon from Qatar’s Al Sadd in autumn 2021. Xavi quickly started the sluggish team, moving it from ninth place to second. And there was already talk about the successful last season: it looked like they finally found the right name at the famous address after frequent changes.
But now it’s worse. The injured playmaker Gavi is missing and the reserves are mainly defensive, Barcelona conceded twice as many goals in the league as their arch-rival Real. He is the only one keeping up with sensational leader Girona.
“I love this club. When the players stop coming to me or someone tells me there is a problem, I will pack my bags,” said Xavi. “However, I still try to stay calm.” For now, he should have the support of the management, club president Joan Laporta himself came to Wednesday’s training. One of his predecessors, Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester City, encouraged Xavi from a distance.
A moment of consolation: even a badly started season can still be saved. Already on Thursday, Barcelona is playing in the round of 16 of the national cup, against third division team Unionistas, they will be favorites. And then there’s the Champions League mission, Xavi’s men kick off the spring season with a doubleheader against struggling Napoli. “The defeat against Real has left a mark on us, but I’m still convinced that we are closer to success than failure,” reassured Xavi. “I know what is expected of me in the spring: three trophies.”
