There has been lots of scrutiny on Barcelona and manager Xavi Hernandez in recent weeks. The Catalans have lost their last two matches against Girona and Royal Antwerp, as part of a run in which they have been defeated four times in their last nine.
Barcelona have been very poor performance-wise during this run too, which has led to Xavi being under increased pressure. There is also reported disappointment from club bosses, and there’s no doubt that his job could be on the line over the next few matches.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via MD) ahead of Sunday’s match with Villarreal, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti discussed Xavi’s situation, and managerial pressure as a whole.
“In general, it’s normal for a coach to have criticism. We have to accept it and then everyone can choose the criticisms that they consider fair and unfair. The judgment of the coaches is only based on the results. No one cares about the coach’s methodology or ability to manage the locker room. It’s only if he wins or doesn’t win and Xavi knows this very well. For me, he is a great coach.”
Rightly or wrongly, managers are often a couple of bad results away from being under the knife. Xavi is in this situation at Barcelona, and the only way to get out of this is to be start winning again.
