Each press conference of Xavi Hernández as coach of FC Barcelona brings aromas of farewell. “My departure makes the positive trajectory as a coach more analyzed. Barça is an institution that I love very much. On the one hand I know that it is good. It is a decision that I make prioritizing the club. But on the other hand I have a feeling of sadness “, acknowledged the technician with a nostalgic smile. But until May, he still has some nerve left. “I will do my best to make this work,” he reiterated. “I have always wanted to be at Barça. I have put money out of my pocket to come train the team of my life. I didn’t go to Milan when I was a player. I won’t get paid for the last year. It has to be for the new coach, he said. I told the president,” he insisted.
Xavi’s next Barça appointment takes them to Vigo. The match, which will be played in Balaídos against a Celta that is sunk in the table, will be the preamble to the big match of the season. The one he will face next Wednesday in Naples in the Champions League. The appointment that will mark, now, a turning point. “We are obliged to achieve success. If we want to compete we have to get three points. We cannot fail more,” said Xavi, who insists that the European event in the Italian capital will not make him change his plans to try to win in Vigo. Of course, he acknowledged that for the match against Naples, Barça will recover Sergi Roberto. There are still at least two weeks left to see Marcos Alonso with the medical discharge while Oriol Romeu, who has knee problems and who did not play against Granada, returns to the squad and traveled to Vigo.
Between the Champions League and the League, Barcelona will finish the season under the shadow of possible departures and the arrival of the next coach. The dance of names is constant, with the German route being the most talked about. None of that distracts Xavi. According to him, neither do his players. “It is normal to talk about future coaches and also about players and their departures. It happens every year. Last year in February there was talk about Ansu Fati,” Xavi recalled. “But it doesn’t affect us,” he reiterated. “We are united, motivated. We continue competing and we want to finish the season well. The message is one of unity, tranquility and work,” he insisted.
And about the Barça of the future? “I am clear that Gavi must be the captain of Barça,” he said. He also protected one of the current captains, Frenkie de Jong, who is again in the showcase if an offer of at least 100 million euros arrives. Even so, the last word goes to the player, happy in Barcelona and with a contract until 2026. “He is an important player. He is comfortable in the club. Frenkie has played good games and others not so much, like the entire team. He has consistency and regularity were lacking. We all have to take a step forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, Xavi waits expectantly like the rest of Barcelona fans for the future of Mbappé to be resolved, who has already announced that he will leave PSG at the end of the season. The white siren of Real Madrid has turned on again. Xavi, a born Barcelona fan, wants to wait. “The only thing we know is that he is leaving. If it is official, ask me again. Our situation is different. We have to focus on finishing the season well,” he said.
His best legacy will not even be the signing of Mbappé. But he does boast of having opted for a future and a present where young people shine. “It won’t be due to attitude. The president sees it that way. I have his confidence and the involvement of the players excites me. This means that we are united to compete as far as we can in football,” he remarked. Barring a catastrophe, Laporta is determined to keep Xavi.
