Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is in siege mode. Until the last month, he has been given the benefit of the doubt with his management, something earned by winning a La Liga title, but no doubt related to his past as a player. Now numerous reports are hitting the press with a critical tone.
After rumours that President Joan Laporta intimated to Xavi that it would be better not to rest Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski and Ronald Araujo, there have also been reports of frustration from the board too. Now there are suggestions that several key players are not altogether content with his management too.
According to Bar Canaletes, who recently reported that Barcelona have drawn up a managerial shortlist should Xavi need to be replaced, four of Barcelona’s biggest stars are struggling to understand Xavi’s ideas. Lewandowski, Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are not convinced by his plans.
Si hubieras escuchado @BarCanaletes ayer sabrías que hay un grupo de jugadores que no terminan de entender lo que Xavi propone. Xavi nos habrá escuchado porque ha vuelto a hacer la convocatoria para enfrentar al Amberes. pic.twitter.com/H2hFE3P8PJ
— Bar Canaletes (@BarCanaletes) December 12, 2023
This is coupled with a report ffrom SER Catalunya (via Diario AS) that the senior Barcelona players do not understand why they are getting so many days off. While his scheduling was not a problem last season, the report says that various ‘heavyweights’ are confused that there are still so many days off when things are going poorly for the Blaugrana.
It would make sense that these four players were grouped together. De Jong and ter Stegen share a friendship built from the former’s arrival in Barcelona in 2019, while the other three are all German speakers, and with the exception of Andreas Christensen, form the entire group of players that come from a similar region in the north of Europe.
🚨 Some non-Spanish players at Barca are surprised by the fact that media only attacks the players and not the coach. @OnzeTv3 pic.twitter.com/fRU6Pr6DDB
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 13, 2023
Equally, de Jong contradicted his manager after their defeat to Girona, claiming that the defeat was Barcelona’s fault, and that they did not play well. Gundogan has expressed his frustration publicly, although not at Xavi, after their Clasico loss too, and on several occasions Lewandowski has complained that Barcelona neither give him sufficient service nor get enough players into attacking areas.
In my personal opinion, Xavi is already overstaying his welcome. The longer he stays the worst it will get for the club for several reasons.
XAVI HAS NO IDEA AND HE LOVES SPANISH PLAYER’S, SOME OF THEN HAS NOTHING DOING IN THE CLUB THEY HAVE BEEN FAVORED BY XAVI. JUST LOOK AT XAVI HE LACK’S TACTICAL IDEAS WHEN THINGS ARE GOING WRONG YOU CAN NEVER SEE HIM CHANGE HIS TACTICS JUST ONE WAY DRIVE I
Xavi must go doing nothing the club needs the best no favouring of players every defeat we fill the pain t hi 9pms is not the baca I know getting worse relief the coach he has tried but luck not on his side