The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, finally explains the decision of Xavi Hernandez in a month
Barcelona President John Laporta finally explained his decision to fire Xavi Hernandez, a week after the appointment of Hansi Flick as the new manager and two weeks after leaving the first. It's the first time he's spoken publicly since.
While rumors were rife Xavi He could be relieved of his duties, the decision to do so shocked the football world, as Laporta had publicly ratified Xavi's continuity for next season just a month earlier.
Speaking to Barca One, the club's channel, Laporta gave an interview in which he explained his thinking behind the decision.
“Xavi did a good job. He took the team in a moment of maximum difficulty. Last year he won the League and the Super Cup. This season things did not go well, to the point that Xavi said that he doesn't continue. I accepted him to finish the season because Xavi is a cole at heart and it was better not to change coaches in the middle of the season.
“He did not seem able to continue to withstand the pressure. Then there is a press conference in which he changes his speech and a meeting with the sporting director in which he changes his questions. Which makes me think that a new impetus must be given to the team to get the most out of this team. We had the option of Hansi Flick, who seemed to be able to compete with this team. I think we finished in a way very elegant with Xavi. He has kept his word, and we have reached an agreement because he is a Culer and now we are going to continue to win.”
Laporta: “Mbappé? I have more confidence in the philosophy of Barça, which is that of La Masia.”
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 4, 2024
He also explained that things were not good when he made the decision to publicly support Xavi, and that a change in the demands of the former manager was crucial in his dismissal.
“Everything was very forced when we decided to continue with him. Xavi is a legend and his enthusiasm led us to take the decision to ratify him. From the moment he made these statements (that Barcelona would struggle to compete with his team), when he changes his requests in a substantial way, the sports commission did not fully believe in his continuity, and I had the perception that I had to give a new impetus to the team The board has the power to take these decisions and correct them, like Xavi.”
Laporta was asked if he made the decision by himself, or if others had his voice, including the Director Sporting Deco, admitting that the timing could have been better.
“I take responsibility for the decision as for all decisions, with my management. But we also took into account the decision of the sports management, and since we had the option of Flick, we decided to take the decision . It gave us a lot of confidence to see that he knows the team more than we thought.”
It's a reasoning that has been leaked for the last two weeks, but will always raise concerns for Barcelona fans. Laporta, apparently, knew it was wrong to support Xavi at the time, and still continues to push forward with Xavi captaining the ship. Equally, many noted that Xavi's statements about the club's financial situation were realistic.
