Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that Xavi Hernandez is ‘the best coach for the project’ despite a recent dip in form.
Xavi guided Barca to their first La Liga title since 2019 in his first full season in charge of the club last term, sparking hope that La Blaugrana could be on their way back to their pre-financial catastrophe best.
In recent weeks, however, that hope has subsided somewhat due to a string of poor performances. Barcelona have lost two of their last four games in all competitions – including losing at home in El Clasico against Real Madrid – and dropped down to third in La Liga’s table as a result.
Speaking to SPORT about whether or not Barca’s recent performances have called into question Xavi’s long-term future as the club’s manager, Deco said: “He is the best coach for this project. He is the coach who agreed to come at an important moment to build what we are building. He has gone through many difficulties and continues to learn.
Deco has backed Xavi / Mario Wurzburger/GettyImages
“Surely, he, more than anyone, wants to play better. He has been a midfielder, like me, and we always want to play well. Xavi knows the responsibility he has and knows that when we are not well, it is tough. Both for him and for everyone. He knows perfectly well what he has to do.”
Deco was also keen to quickly dispel rumours that he has any involvement in tactics the first-team use during the interview.
He added: “I am not an advisor, and I am not a coach either. I talk a lot about football with Xavi, but always respect his figure as he respects mine. I don’t give him advice. He is the coach and knows perfectly well what he has to do.
“At some point, I allow myself to express my opinion because I see things, but most of the time we see the same things because we understand football. I learned a lot from him because he has the coach’s vision. He has his coaching staff, and we have full confidence in them. We can discuss, talk, reflect, but he is the coach.”
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