On the whole, Xavi Hernandez had a successful spell as Barcelona head coach, but it ended on a disappointing note. He failed to win anything in his first season in charge, and he has now acknowledged why that happened.
Speaking at a conference at ESIC University (via MD), Xavi reflected on the 2023-24 season, his last as manager of Barcelona. He was self-critical on the reasons for his side’s poor performance levels other the course of that campaign.
“I started my coaching career at Barcelona with high demands for the players and the club, as the club was coming out of a period where there weren’t many demands. My mistake was that I maintained these high standards just for a year, from the time I arrived until we won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup… Some time after that, I was able to be self-critical and I said to myself, ‘What happened to me?’
“I had lowered those high standards and the players no longer had the same attitude, the same respect, the same effort. The standards kept getting lower and lower to the point that in my last season we didn’t win anything. I learned a lot from this. I had to be self-critical.”
Xavi Hernandez
Image via Jorge Guerrero/Diario AS
Xavi is ready to make his return to management
Xavi has been out of work since being sacked by Barcelona, but after 18 months in the wilderness, he is ready to make his return to football management. He has been linked with a number of jobs during his time away from the game, but his idea is to take on a project that is ambitious.
Manchester United is one club that he wants to manage, although their recent upturn in form means that he could be made to wait for that job. Nevertheless, he will be continuing to monitor the situation.