"I am convinced he will do very well" - Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol claims Xavi knows 'exactly what to do', says he must be given 'time and confidence'
Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has backed Xavi to deliver at the Camp Nou. Xavi played at Barcelona under the captaincy of Carles Puyol before taking over the armband from the latter.
The duo delivered great success for club and country and Puyol has now backed Xavi to deliver as a manager as well. The Spanish defender felt Xavi is aware of the situation at the club and knows the club inside out. Puyol went on to state that those aspects will help the current Barcelona manager fix the difficult situation at the club.
#OTD 🌟
🔙 2012 | 8 years ago we played 🆚 Levante with 11 players made in @FCBmasia 💙❤️
😍 Special memories 😍 https://t.co/zduwAWqmrH
"I know Xavi very well and I know he has prepared himself very well. I am convinced that he will do very well," Puyol said. "He has experienced moments as a player where we had difficult situations. Then we achieved great things with a great team."
Puyol added that Barcelona were going through a rough patch in the early days of their career. Hence, having experienced how to turn things around as a player, Xavi will be able to draw in on that as manager as well. He said:
"We had not won anything and then we won everything by playing very good football. So he knows exactly what to do, and you have to give him time and confidence."
Barcelona appointed Xavi in hopes to regain their spot at the pinnacle of European football
Official and confirmed. Barcelona announce Xavi Hernández as new manager. He’ll be in Catalunya in the next hours. 🔵🔴🤝 #FCB
Xavi will be presented as new Barça head coach on Monday. https://t.co/3fL7cWbdlr
Barcelona have been put through a lot in the last couple of seasons. From appointing the wrong coaches and losing club legends to financial distress and presidential elections, the club have looked unsettled.
Xavi has been appointed to bring back calm and assurance at the club. He is a known face who spent almost his entire playing career at Barcelona and understands the club and their football philosophy. Xavi might just be the perfect man to lead them back to the top.
Barcelona are currently placed sixth in the La Liga standings and are 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid. Xavi kicked off his managerial tenure with a dominant display in a 1-0 league win against Espanyol over the weekend.
Continentally, they are second in their UEFA Champions League group and face a tricky situation to qualify for the next round. They are only two points clear of third-placed Benfica and still have to play Bayern Munich away from home in their final group encounter.
Xavi will also have a limited transfer budget to work with given the financial situation at the club.