Xavi has had his critics in recent weeks after a relatively poor run of form that has left them in third place, seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid. However, as always, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has again backed the manager, who he believes is the man for the job.
Barcelona again failed to take the three points in their most recent game against Valencia, with the game ending in a one-all draw, despite the Catalan side creating the better chances. The result unsurprisingly brought out the critics once again, especially given they also lost in their midweek Champions League game against Royal Antwerp.
Xavi has been having a torrid time recently and is unable to escape the disapproval of fans every time there is a slight blip. The fans criticism Xavi can deal with; however, what will have him worried is recent comments from some of the higher-ups at Barcelona, most notably Deco, who contradicted Xavi after their 4-2 loss to Girona. After their match, contrary to Xavi, Deco remarked that Barcelona played poorly and deserved to lose. It was the first sign that there might be a little bit of friction between the Barcelona hierarchy and the manager, who had only shown their support up until then.
However, one man who has continuously declared his support for Xavi is president Joan Laporta, perhaps the one man you want on your side at the moment. Laporta again voiced his support for the Barcelona legend in an interview adapted from Marca. “He has our complete confidence, and he deserves it. Our confidence in Xavi is total. Aside from his knowledge, he is a great coach…he is resilient and protects his players, which says a lot in his favour.”
Speaking of his own role in the club and how he goes about business, Laporta said, “I’m not a President who goes to the dressing room all the time and goes to all the training sessions. I only go when I need to, and it’s always agreed with the manager. The allocation of roles is very important, and each person needs to stick to his role. The players need to play, the manager needs to coach so we are competitive, and the President needs to be in command. If we don’t do it this way, we are making a mistake because, in the past, the roles have gotten mixed up, and the President has ended up commanding the players, which is why we’ve ended up where we are. I’m not an invasive President.”
Laporta’s words of support will be a boost to Xavi as his team prepares for their final game of the calendar year against Almería, who are dead last in the league and against whom only a win is expected.
GSFN | Finn Entwistle
