Speaking at a leadership conference at ESIC University, Xavi delivered a candid assessment of his time as Barca coach, outlining both the pride of his achievements and the regret of what came after.
“I began my coaching career at Barca with high expectations for both the players and the club,” he said. “The club was coming from a period where there weren't many demands, but my mistake was maintaining those high standards for only one year, from when I arrived until we won La Liga and the Super Cup.”
Reflecting on his downfall, the 45-year-old acknowledged that discipline and focus within the squad began to fade and that he didn’t do enough to stop it.
“Later on, I was able to be self-critical and I said to myself: ‘Damn, 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 dropping until, in my last season, we didn't win anything. I learned a lot from this. I had to be self-critical.”
His admission marks the first time Xavi has publicly accepted responsibility for losing control of the dressing room, a confession that resonates deeply with the club’s supporters, many of whom viewed him as the perfect embodiment of the Barca philosophy.
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