Why Did Barcelona Fire Xavi Hernandez

Barcelona Football Club have ended their contract with their legend, Xavi Hernandez, after a not-so-successful second stint at the club. Widely regarded as the best midfielder of the modern era, Xavi led his former team to glory in his first season. Before he joined Barcelona as a coach, he coached Al Sadd and helped them reach the semi-finals of the AFC championships and win the Qatar Cup. In 2021, Xavi joined Barcelona as a coach, replacing Ronald Koeman, in a contract that was to end in June this year.

Like his former coach, Xavi introduced stricter rules and monitored off-field player behaviour and activities when he joined Barcelona. The coach further enforced rules that ensured that players came early for the training, something that the former coach was lenient on. Though he started on a positive note by beating Espanyol, Xavi’s first defeat came in December against Real Betis. Barcelona was eliminated from Copa Del Rey, Europa League, and Champions League, and they finished second in Laliga.

Xavi’s First Full Season at Barcelona

Xavi joined Barcelona in November 2021 and had only half a season. His turnaround saw a team that had dismal performances under Koeman finish second. His first full season was successful as Barcelona went ahead and won Laliga, and Super Copa de Espana in a scintillating style. Despite this success, defeats against Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao increased pressure on the coach.

Possible Reasons for Sacking

Though his contract was to end in June 2024, Barcelona extended to 44-year old’s contract by one year. However, two weeks ago, the young manager announced that he would leave Barcelona. This prompted the Blaugrana hierarchy to call for a meeting with Xavi and he agreed to stay at the club. Today, May 24, 2024, Xavi Hernandez was relieved of his managerial duties by Joan Laporta. “FC Barcelona would like to thank Xavi for his work as a coach, which adds to an unparalleled career as a player and captain of the team and wishes him all the luck in the world. In the coming days, FC Barcelona will inform about the new structure of the first team.”

So what could be the reasons behind his sacking?

The Barcelona coach had already affirmed that he would leave the club but changed his mind after a meeting with the club’s leadership. It looks like the club’s management asked him to rescind his decision to leave so that they could sack him. 

There are reports that the former Barcelona maestro was on bad terms with the Club’s president.

Xavi’s performance in Europe’s elite competition has been poor. Out of ten games, he only won six and progressed out of group stages only one during his stint at the club. 

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