Santi Cazorla says Xavi “could coach Barcelona tomorrow”

Santi Cazorla has long been heralded as one of the finest creative talents in Spanish football, and he shocked many when he decided to leave Villarreal to join Xavi in Qatar with Al-Sadd.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Diario AS, Cazorla spoke glowingly of Xavi’s talents as a coach and revealed that he believes his friend is ready to take over at Barcelona.

“When he retired he did the course, he started to like it and then he decided,” Cazorla said of Xavi. “He’s been an example for me in that regard, the fact he waited to decide. Once I retire I want to have the same values. He’s perfectly qualified to be a coach. You could say he could coach Barcelona tomorrow.

“I think he’s prepared. He knows the players well and he knows how to treat them. He’s been playing until recently and knows how to squeeze the most out of them, although it doesn’t matter how you play if you don’t win.”

Cazorla was pressed on what he believed made Xavi stand out as having the makings of a top coach. “His personality,” he replied. “He has a very clear idea. He comes from the Barcelona school and he’s always been a fan of attacking with the ball and goes to death with [that idea].

“He prefers to take risks, come out from behind with the ball and he instills that way of seeing football in us. He was a leader as a player as well as a coach, and he gets his message across, which is the most difficult thing. If the coach can’t get his message across in the dressing room it’s very difficult for the results.”

Xavi has long been viewed as a potential Pep Guardiola-like figure at Barcelona, someone who could come into the club and reassert the identity that the aforementioned Catalan instilled in his charges when he sat in the Camp Nou dugout.

One of the most decorated footballers of all time, a selection of Xavi’s honours include eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and the World Cup.

Barcelona are at a low ebb right now, being blown away domestically by Atletico Madrid and in the midst of a crisis of identity. Victor Font, one of the club’s presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, has promised to bring Xavi in as his coach. If Cazorla’s right, he could be just the man to save them.

Tags Barcelona La Liga Santi Cazorla Villarreal Xavi

3 Comments

  1. I was very hope of xavi if he couch Barcelona xavi is better I will give him 100% assurance my god bring xavi as barca couch

  2. Everybody is waiting to see xavi coach barca soon or later, we believed in him but Depending or who wil be the president of barca Tomorrow. We wants to see him

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