Barcelona it is a very political club, and it is fair to say that it has had the best Xavi Hernandez last season, with the Blaugrana leadership oscillating between support and dismissal for several months. The fall is still ongoing.
This week, president Joan Laporta said he was happy with the team so far, and felt the work done to bring in a new fitness staff has paid dividends. It was a criticism directed at Xavi that his side was not physically up to scratch last season, and TV3 report that those around Xavi believe that the constant stories about the fitness of the team in recent months have been deliberate. They feel that the praise for Hansi Flick and his new fitness staff is indirectly a criticism of Xavi's work.
Barcelona want to sign both Jonathan Tah and Joshua Kimmich as free agents next summer. @sergisoleMD, @ffpolo pic.twitter.com/hADr3mAMzB
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 7, 2024
The motivation would probably be to blame last season's failures at Xavi's door, rather than the team's planning or the hierarchy. That may well be the case. That said, the difference in fitness has been commented on by Robert Lewandowski, Pau Cubarsi and Pedri, and it seems unlikely that they will engage in the club's midfield battle with a former manager.
