Barça achieved, not without suffering, the victory it needed against Porto to qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League. Three years later, the Blaugrana team was once again among the 16 best in Europe and did so after a few weeks in which doubts had been the protagonists.
Doubts about the results, about the game... and all of them with one name in the target: Xavi Hernández. The Terrassa coach has experienced his most difficult days at the head of FC Barcelona, leading to questioning his continuity in office. For this reason, the image that president Joan Laporta wanted to leave after the match becomes even more important.
After the match Laporta was photographed effusively hugging Xavi Hernández in a gesture with which he wanted to settle all the speculation of these days. Some doubts fueled by the snapshot that he himself shared days before with Rafa Márquez. One day after the first team's sad draw in Vallecas, Laporta was seen in Palamós in the Barça Atlétic match led by the former Blaugrana.
There have also been many voices critical of the Terrassa coach from within the Blaugrana board, which is why the president wanted to close ranks with his coach, publicly show his support and settle all the speculation of these days.
Despite the nervousness of recent weeks, Laporta has always expressed his full confidence in the Catalan coach to the press: “We close ranks with the coach and his coaching staff. For us it is a pride to have a coach like Xavi, we have always said it. We are totally with him. “We have complete confidence in him,” he had told reporters this Monday.
