“Everyday is a matter of life or death” - Xavi shares interesting chat with Pep Guardiola before announcing decision to leave Barcelona
Barcelona manager Xavi shared bits of his conversation with former teammate and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, which he had before deciding to leave the club. The Spanish tactician felt a lot of pressure, and every day felt like a 'matter of life and death'.
Speaking to the media ahead of their upcoming La Liga match against Osasuna, Xavi revealed that he had a word with Guardiola about the pressure managers face at a club the size of Barcelona. He claimed that the former manager also felt pressure at the club and said (via BarcaUniversal):
"I've talked about it with Guardiola as well. There's a lot of pressure here, it feels like every day it's a matter of life or death."
When asked about what caused the pressure, Xavi replied:
"Is it the club, press or fans? I think it's in general. I don't think it's (our work) been valued enough. That generates a wear and tear that you think that, you do what you do, it is not valued. We have endured the pressure, and we have arrived at one of the most difficult moments of the club, and I prefer not to continue."
Xavi will remain in charge of the club until the end of the season. Reports in SPORT suggest he and his staff have forgone their salary for the rest of the season.
Pep Guardiola backs Xavi's decision to leave Barcelona
Pep Guardiola was asked about Xavi's decision to leave Barcelona and the Manchester City boss backed his compatriot. He claimed that the pressure in Spain was '1000' times more than that in England. He said (via BarcaUniversal):
"Of course, I completely understand [Xavi's decision to leave]. We cannot compare the pressure in England to Spain, in my experience. It's 1,000x tougher there. Six press conferences a week, a lot of games. The pressure you feel in Barcelona is not comparable to anywhere else."
When asked if Guardiola would advise Xavi to take a sabbatical like him, the City manager said:
"It was a good period, I spent time with my family, something I wasn't doing. But after only 3 months I signed a contract with Bayern Munich, so I think I did not relax much. But it was a good time and a good decision."
SPORT have reported that the Catalan side have no plans to re-sign Pep Guardiola or Luis Enrique as they want a fresh face at the helm next season.