Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has probably never been more in danger of losing his job than he is now, but he is still safe. The Blaugrana coach will be given a chance to turn things around despite an uninspiring season to date.
While their defeat to Royal Antwerp meant little in terms of the competition, it did cost Barcelona a €2.8m win bonus, and the performance was well below the level expected even for a dead rubber, on all fronts. Sport say that President Joan Laporta is ‘enormously frustrated’ with the performance of the side, and lack of production from particular players.
He will continue to have faith in Xavi though, with the Blaugrana still alive in four competitions. In January, Barcelona will enter the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercup, at which point the situation will be assessed again by Laporta, but a reaction against Valencia is a necessity. In spite of the frustration with the players, there is also an expectation that Xavi should be able to outperform Antwerp and Girona at the very least. The hope is that this sparks a siege mentality and coming together of the squad in the face of adversity.
🚨 Xavi is upset with Deco for his words before the game. @gerardromero
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 14, 2023
On the other hand, MD claim that Xavi held talks with Laporta and Sporting Director Deco for around two hours on Wednesday, before the Antwerp game. They claim that the tone was good, and there was plenty of agreement on the causes and problems affecting the team – even if Deco and Laporta believe Xavi could be harder on the team.
That was before Deco publicly contradicted Xavi less than an hour before the game kicked off against Antwerp, causing a reported breakdown in relations. While Laporta might be maintaining faith in Xavi, it appears that there is little warmth between the coach and Deco. The Brazilian arrived in the summer and was given carte blanche to take decisions, and if the two cannot repair things, it could be tricky for them to advance hand-in-hand.
