SUMMARY
- Pep Guardiola supports Xavi after Barcelona's Supercopa defeat.
- Barcelona, who were on the verge of winning the Supercopa for the second consecutive time, was given a blow by their arch-rivals, Real Madrid.
Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has defended his former player, Xavi Hernandez after Barcelona suffered a shambolic defeat in the Supercopa final. Barcelona, who were on the verge of winning the Supercopa for the second consecutive time, was given a blow by their arch-rivals, Real Madrid. Madrid went on to win the match by 4 goals to 1 which has raised questions about Xavi’s tactics as the manager of the club.
Xavi’s tally of defeats this season took him to five defeats so far, as he faces borrowed time in the hot seat for the Blaugrana. However, who was once his coach, and former treble-winning manager for Barcelona, Pep Guardiola has recently leapt to the defence of the Barcelona manager.
🚨🎙️| Pep Guardiola: “I want to give Xavi my support. It’s easy to blame the coach, but the players must step up! No secret, they are the ones playing. It’s not just the coach’s fault, we know this job only lasted 5 years. The players need to step up.” #fcblive pic.twitter.com/MJzztFCJOJ
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) January 15, 2024
Guardiola who won the FIFA Best Men’s Coach award for 2023 on Monday night, January 15, defended Xavi and criticized the players following their heavy defeat. On being asked his stance on the result, Pep said, “I want to give Xavi my support. It is easy to blame the coach, but the players have to 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,” added the two-time treble-winning manager.
Guardiola who managed Barcelona from 2008 to 2012 has a tremendous record for the Spanish side having won 14 trophies for them including a treble back in 2008-09.
Ferran Torres speaks on the managerial philosophies of Pep Guardiola and Xavi
Former Manchester City player and current Barcelona star, Ferran Torres has recently revealed the differences in the managerial philosophies of Pep Guardiola and Xavi. Torres who spent two years in Manchester City playing under Pep made his move to Barcelona in 2022 and has been an important member of the squad for Xavi.
During an interview on The Wild Project YouTube channel, Torres stated his admiration for Pep. He said, “It’s crazy – how he plans training – 27 out of the 24 hours he has in the day, he’s watching football and improving.”
Torres even made mention of Pep’s pre-match talks as he said, “What impressed me the most is that in the talks before the games, he tells you what’s going to happen – you stand here, your teammate will be there, and then you’ll give it to him. And then it happens! The worst thing is that it happens!”
The Spanish international was no short of wise words for his current boss Xavi Hernandez. He went on to say how Xavi is the perfect coach for Barcelona at this point. Torres added, “He likes to push the player to bring out the best version of the footballer because you need it. He is a perfect coach for Barca. Above all, his desire to improve, he always thinks about what he can do to help the footballer.”
It seems like Xavi’s vision has been beneficial for the 23-year-old as he is in a fine run this season having already scored 7 goals this season.