Barcelona star Jules Koundé has this weekend moved to throw his backing behind former manager Xavi Hernández.
This comes amid ongoing criticism of the Spanish tactician, owing to the stellar time of things being enjoyed by Barcelona since his departure.
Barca are of course in the midst of what has been nothing short of a spectacular start to the new campaign.
Looking like a team reborn under the watch of new headmaster Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have rattled off victories in all but two of their 14 fixtures across all competitions to date.
Not only that, but they have been scoring goals for fun, with the likes of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski having exploded into life in Flick’s direct system.
Whilst one manager receives praise, however, another has been on the receiving end of frequent criticism of late…
After a somewhat underwhelming campaign in Catalunya’s capital in 2023/24, questions have begun to circulate as to why Xavi was not able to draw out even close to the same level on the part of Barca’s leading stars.
One Blaugrana star, however, who feels as though the Spaniard should not be blamed comes in the form of the aforementioned Jules Koundé.
Speaking during an interview with La Vanguardia this weekend, defender Koundé launched a stern defence of his ex-boss, adamant that Xavi ‘does not need to prove anything’:
“We should not forget what we achieved with Xavi. We must not underestimate the value of the League and the Super Cup we achieved. In many moments during these two years, we performed well, played entertainingly, and the fans enjoyed themselves.
“We may have done good things and others less under Xavi, but he always tried his best. He does not need to prove anything because Barcelona is the club of his life, so Xavi should not be blamed for anything.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
