In seven years, Joan Laporta only had two coaches in his first spell at the helm of Barcelona. It started with Frank Rijkaard, who was there between 2003 and 2008 –he put up with it while Rosell asked him to hire Scolari and he was wrong, he acknowledged it, giving him a new opportunity in full complacency–, and ended with Pep Guardiola, who built the best Barça in the story for four seasons (2008-2012), in which the first two he worked with his friend as president.
It seemed that in his second season in the Camp Nou box he would not be able to maintain that stability when seven months after winning the March 2021 elections he dismissed Ronald Koeman, a coach he inherited but reluctantly ratified. After Sergi's interim period, which lasted three games, Xavi Hernández arrived. It was not his first choice – in fact, he was the visible face of the organization chart of Víctor Font, his rival at the polls – but Laporta seems to have found his travel companion, the long-term coach he was looking for for this second stage .
"I have already considered the renewal of Xavi, even if we do not win the League," the president discovered in a discussion at the Círculo Ecuestre, where he was full of praise for the way of being and working of the man from Egar, always positive. “He is very aware of the club's situation. He doesn't make you stretch out your arm more than your sleeve, he doesn't ask us for crazy things. He is a grateful coach, ”he defined.
But that, Xavi knows well, is not enough. In a big and demanding club, "the most difficult in the world", as the coach insists, you are subject to constant scrutiny and you need success.
“The president is my friend. He is very reliable and goes for it. But first, the results, and then, the renewal”, responded Xavi, a few hours later, in an act at the Terrassa City Hall. The coach is focused on winning the League – he has a 9-point advantage – since the club has not sung the alirón since 2018-19, also aspires to the Cup. Even so, the strategist, culé to the core and from the cradle, He assures that his is a thankless position. "The worst days of my life have been as Barça coach," he confessed. At the moment, he has signed until 2024.
In any case, the numbers do not deceive and support Xavi, 43 years old, passing through the Camp Nou bench. Last Sunday he turned 50 days and his figures in the championship are remarkable. Of the 150 possible points, with him Barcelona has added 118, one more than those obtained by Guardiola and Ernesto Valverde.
These records place him only behind Luis Enrique, who reached 124 points. Of course, the Asturian had the advantage of being able to count on a historic trident up front like the one formed by Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar.
That offensive power has not been enjoyed by Xavi, who in fact this season has not even been able to use his gala eleven in the regular tournament – they only played in Riyadh against Madrid and in the Cup against Real Sociedad. Despite these limitations, the blaugrana have one more march than the rest, with 13 wins, 1 draw and one loss in the last 15 games.
They are numbers that speak for themselves but the letter is not yet in tune. The game is intermittent, the evolution is not linear and the show has been seen little by little despite the more than 200 million invested.
What's more, there is a marker that is repeated too much for the taste of the fans. He began his career with a 1-0 win in a derby at Espanyol and, for now, the last match ended in a 1-0 win against Valencia. In addition, they need to improve in Europe, where they still can't compete with the big boys and still haven't regained their rightful place on the continent.
Even so, there is a rival that motivates him like no other. And it is Madrid. Xavi has already beaten him three times in five matches. Two of the wins came at the Bernabeu. Cruyff in his day only won once there. There is still a long way to go but Laporta sees him as a fellow traveler.
