Xavi, the Barcelona boss is facing uncertainty at the club after a couple of defeats on the run that derailed the Spanish champions’ domestic campaign to defend their championship. In a recent match, Barcelona played to a 1-1 draw against Valencia, held at Mestalla on Saturday.
Following their recent Champions League group defeat to Royal Antwerp, Xavi was pushed closer to suffering the same fate as former manager Ronald Koeman. Surprisingly, during these challenging times, Real Madrid’s boss has voiced his support for Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi finds unexpected support
The loss of faith from club board members has triggered a wave of speculation surrounding Xavi’s situation as the manager. Recently, Xavi called out the hypocrisy of media outlets, despite being under immense pressure following Barcelona’s poor form and his job will be on the line in the next few matches.
In the mix, Carlo Ancelotti, the renowned Italian tactician, has come forward to shower praise on his fellow counterpart. During pre-match press conferences ahead of their clash against Villarreal, the Real Madrid manager opened up on Xavi’s circumstances.
He said, “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.”
It might come as a surprise for many, especially from the boss of arch-rivals Los Blancos, as his side had earlier defeated Xavi’s Blaugrana in the recent El Clásico with a 2-1 victory. Moreover, there’s a lot Xavi can learn from one of the elite names in soccer management.
Additionally, Barcelona star midfielder Pedri has also shown his support for his boss, stating, “We are with the coach, we are with Xavi. We all have to be together to turn it around — that’s the only way. We are together.”
Barcelona drift further from top of La Liga following Valencia draw
In La Liga Matchday 17, the Catalan giants once again dropped points in their second successive league outing. Their last win was registered against Diego Simeone-managed Atletico Madrid in a 1-0 victory at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium at the beginning of this month.
After half-time, Barcelona, playing as visitors, took the lead through Joao Felix in the 55th minute. However, the mid-table Valencia came from behind to level the scorecard with Hugo Guillamon scoring for the hosts, managing to hold the reigning champions to a draw at Mestalla Stadium, yesterday.
Consequently, the Blaugrana led by Xavi, climbed up to the third spot on the league table, claiming 35 points with 10 wins and 5 draws in a total of 17 league games this season. Moreover, they are trailing Real Madrid and Girona by 4 and 6 points, respectively.
