“I will not resign again. I have an intact commitment, I feel energized and eager thanks to the trust of the president, the footballers and the fans,” Xavi alleged to explain his change of position. The coach, the club's shield thanks to his football past, will need that energy. To reinforce his credibility and to awaken an anesthetized Barcelona fandom with only 17,000 members subscribed to Montjuïc.
When Xavi landed in Barcelona in November 2021 with the team ninth in the League, he was a hero. Two and a half years later, despite winning a League and a Super Cup, his image has been weakened in the emotional roller coaster that Barcelona has become.
He himself has taken note and knows what he must do to improve and face this last year firmly. To begin with, continue betting on young people, the most grateful and happy with his continuity. In the tough journey through the club's economic desert, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Fermín and Gavi are among the few non-transferable.
Xavi will also have to become stronger in the offices. It's okay to have confidence with the president. But the coach must have a say in choosing the key pieces of his project. If a guarantee midfielder is asked, 30 million fixed and another 31 million in variables cannot be allocated for Vitor Roque. If you dream of Messi's return, you have to find a way. And, above all, the club must save the coach trips and impossible promises with players like Haaland, Zubimendi or Bernardo Silva when there is neither space to register them nor levers to pay them. These types of gestures weaken him in the world of football.
In his third full year, the coach must also leave behind the character of a footballer and learn to control his temper with the referees - he already apologized after leaving the team stranded with 10 against PSG and left the Soto Grado classic without cards. And, most importantly: isolate yourself from your surroundings and focus on the football story.
