Despite achieving success in the previous season by securing the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup, Xavi’s performance as a manager at Barcelona is now facing scrutiny in the current season. His plans to revamp the Catalonia side have been experiencing a downturn in form lately.
The recent embarrassing defeat of the Blaugrana in the 2024 Spanish Super Cup final has pushed Xavi to the back foot. Amidst the struggling times around the Barcelona boss, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has extended his support to his former ally after receiving the FIFA Best Coach accolade.
Pep Guardiola defends Xavi amid recent Barcelona struggle
Barcelona, currently standing on the cusp of the top four in the league table, faced their arch-rivals in the Spanish Super Cup 2024 final in Riyadh with hopes of rejuvenating their campaign with silverware. However, Los Blancos’ ace Vinicius Jr.’s hat-trick performance thwarted their ambitions.
This marks their second successive defeat to their arch-rivals this season, and the questionable performance of the team further has intensified the pressure on the 43-year-old’s future at Camp Nou. During these challenges, Xavi has received backing from his former boss, Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester City boss was crowned as the FIFA Best Men’s Coach 2023 and shared his thoughts on Xavi’s current situation amid the team’s recent struggles. Guardiola vowed support and called on the players to step up during these challenging times.
He said, “I want to give Xavi my support. It is easy to blame the coach, but the players must step up. There is no secret, they are the ones who play. Not everything is the coach’s fault, the players have to take a step forward if the coach stays until the end, the players have to show their quality, they have done it many times and will do it again.”
Pep Guardiola wins FIFA The Best Men’s Coach 2023
Pep Guardiola, the renowned Spaniard tactician added another trophy to his illustrious managerial career. The 52-year-old was named FIFA The Best Men’s Coach 2023 on Monday. He secured the accolade ahead of Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi and former Napoli Serie A-winning manager Luciano Spalletti.
This award serves as testimony to his historic last season with Manchester City. The 52-year-old guided the English side to its first-ever treble-winning campaign by securing the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and English FA Cup, showcasing their dominance across Europe. They recently capped off their trophy quest with a FIFA Club World Cup triumph.
This marks Guardiola’s first FIFA Best Manager award, despite his illustrious stints with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. However, he had never managed to secure this trophy, finishing as a runner-up in 2009 when he led Barcelona to a treble-winning season. Additionally, he secured the third position on two occasions, in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
