Barcelona President Sticks With Xavi In Show Of Support For The Coach Despite His Decision To Leave – News18

MADRID: Barcelona is sticking with Xavi Hernández amid a present of assist for the coach regardless of his choice to go away on the finish of the season.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta mentioned Sunday he won’t make a training change and expects Xavi to stay absolutely dedicated regardless of not returning subsequent season.

The president met with the coach and the squad a day after Xavi mentioned he would go away. The coach’s announcement got here following the workforce’s 5-3 loss at dwelling to Villarreal within the Spanish league on Saturday.

“Xavi told me that at the end of the season he would leave, but that he wanted to finish the season, and it’s a formula that I accept because he is the one who proposed it to me, and he is a Barcelona legend,” Laporta mentioned. “He is an honest person, acts with total dignity and loves Barça. I accept it because I know that he will be fully committed until the end of the season.”

The loss to Villarreal has left Barcelona 11 factors behind Spanish league chief Girona and 10 factors from second-place Real Madrid. The Catalan membership had already been eradicated by Athletic Bilbao within the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey and misplaced 4-1 to Madrid within the Spanish Super Cup remaining.

“The league will be tough to win, but it’s not impossible,” Laporta mentioned. “We have to compete until the end and see what happens. We’ll need the support of our fans so we can try to win the Champions League. We’ll go step by step. With everyone’s commitment, I believe that we can still reach some of the goals that we had set for the season.”

Barcelona faces Napoli within the spherical of 16 of the Champions League, a contest during which it hadn’t superior previous the group stage the final two seasons, and never since Lionel Messi was nonetheless with the membership.

Laporta didn’t say something about looking for a substitute for Xavi. The membership has been struggling financially and isn’t in an excellent place to signal new gamers.

Laporta referred to as for “unity” and thanked the membership’s followers for his or her assist regardless of the “complicated season” that included the transfer to the Montjuic stadium whereas the Camp Nou undergoes intensive reworking.

Barcelona mentioned Xavi met together with his gamers earlier than coaching on Sunday to clarify his choice to go away.

The coach mentioned Saturday that “as a Barcelona fan” he couldn’t permit “this situation to continue” and that the workforce wanted “a change of course and of dynamics.”

He mentioned the choice to go away on the finish of the season had been made earlier than the loss to Villarreal, although the defeat helped speed up the announcement. He hoped his choice would lower the stress and stress that was surrounding the workforce and himself.

“The feeling of being the coach of Barcelona is cruel, it is unpleasant, you feel like you don’t get the respect you deserve,” Xavi mentioned. “It wears you down, affects your mental health, your emotions, up to the point that you say you can’t go on. My loved ones know that.”

The former star midfielder returned to Barcelona as coach in November 2021 together with his solely expertise of the place coming throughout a stint in Qatar. His contract was as a result of end on the finish of subsequent season.

Barcelona’s subsequent league match is in opposition to midtable Osasuna at dwelling on Wednesday earlier than an away sport at Alaves on Saturday.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)