From title triumph to stepping down, how Xavi’s Barca dream soured
Only a few months after lifting the Spanish title, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez dramatically announced he would walk away from the club at the end of the season.
The 44-year-old, who excelled in Barcelona’s midfield during 17 years as a player, described the job as his ‘dream’ in the years before he was appointed in November 2021.
After a 5-3 collapse against Villarreal on Saturday which left the champions 10 points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid, Xavi said coaching Barcelona was a ‘cruel and unpleasant’ experience.
Real Madrid thrashed Barcelona 4-1 earlier in January to win the Spanish Super Cup and Athletic Bilbao hammered the Catalans 4-2 on Wednesday to eliminate them from the Copa del Rey, paving the way for Xavi’s decision.
Xavi took over in one of the toughest moments of Barcelona’s history, a few months after their greatest ever player Lionel Messi left, with the club in dire economic straits.
The coach, who won 25 trophies with Barcelona as a player in 767 appearances, led the team from ninth in the table to second in his first season at the helm, securing Champions League qualification.
Xavi followed that by winning the Spanish Super Cup in January 2023 and then Barcelona’s first league title since 2019, with his project gathering speed.
Humiliating consecutive group stage Champions League exits blotted his copybook, but Barca appeared to be improving after largely dismal spells under Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman. Despite winning La Liga, some media and supporters grumbled that the team was not playing good football.
Xavi, the symbol of Barcelona’s possession game as a player under Pep Guardiola, was expected by supporters to deliver that kind of dominant football – and he insisted it was his aim.
Yet Barcelona won the title on the basis of their superb defence, conceding just 20 times in 38 La Liga matches. This season they have already let in 29 in 21 games.
The collapse of that defensive strength and worsening performances have led Xavi to walk away, he says to change a ‘negative dynamic’ around the team he loves.
Several factors have played into Barcelona’s struggles at the back this season. Perhaps stung by criticism of his team’s dutiful but drab performances, Xavi brought in full-back Joao Cancelo on loan to play a more attacking brand of football.
Barring a miracle in La Liga or an unlikely Champions League charge, his departure as coach will be far less triumphant. — AFP
BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said he will quit his ‘cruel and unpleasant’ job at the end of the season after his struggling team were beaten 5-3 by Villarreal on Saturday in La Liga.
“On June 30 I will leave the club, it’s a decision I have taken with the president, with the staff,” Xavi told reporters.
Champions Barcelona, third in the top flight, are 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
“The feeling of being Barca coach is cruel, unpleasant, it feels like people lack respect for you a lot of the time. It’s terrible on a mental health level, your morale ... to the point where you think there is no sense in continuing,” said Xavi.
After elimination in the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao this week and a thrashing by Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final earlier in January, Xavi said he made the decision for the good of the club.
“I’ve thought about the club ... and above all the players. I have the feeling that I am doing the right thing, that I am acting with common sense. I think the club needs a change of dynamics, the dynamic is very negative,” said Xavi.
Xavi, who took over in November 2021, led Barcelona to the Spanish Super Cup and league title last season, with the team built around a strong defence.