The arrival of Xavi Hernandez to the bench of Barcelona always seemed a matter of when, not if. Eventually he came in during November of this year, in arguably their trickiest moment since Xavi was in his early 20s and playing in their midfield.
That’s part of the reason that Marc Bartra is backing him to turn the tables at Barcelona. Some would already argue that he is some way to doing so, having taken Barcelona from ninth place to second.
For five years the two shared a dressing room at Barcelona, winning everything they possibly could and Bartra feels that Xavi’s Barcelona have made changes to that of Ronald Koeman.
“Xavi arrived at a very delicate moment. He knows the house more than anyone and knows, as a result of being present during difficult moments as a player, how to lift the club and the team.”
“Teams reflect their managers and with Xavi you see a different Barcelona, using a 4-3-3, maintaining possession of the ball but playing direct when you need to…”
Bartra made the comments during an interview with Mundo Deportivo, where he explained that winning the Copa del Rey with Real Betis was the best trophy of his career. Should Barcelona want to return to the heights they were at while Bartra was there, the Catalan asked for one thing that isn’t often given lightly at Camp Nou.
“They have to have the patience to know that these things aren’t done from one day to the next and Xavi is working on it. I wish him the best.”
