"There is not the same patience" - Xavi makes surprise claim about Barcelona future
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has made a surprising claim regarding his future in the Catalan capital. The tactician admitted that he doesn't expect to be in charge of the club for a long time as he acknowledged that there's much expectation and very little patience at Barca, compared to other clubs.
Xavi Hernandez was appointed as Barcelona's manager in November of 2021 following the sacking of Ronald Koeman. The Spaniard led the Catalan giants to claim both the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga title last season but his side appears to be experiencing a slow start to the current campaign.
The Blaugrana have recorded three victories in four La Liga games so far but their overall level of performance has been far from convincing. They played out a goalless draw with Getafe in their opening fixture before Cadiz 2-0 in the subsequent game.
Xavi's men struggled to secure narrow wins against Villarreal and Osasuna in their last two fixtures (4-3 and 2-1, respectively), raising questions about their performance. The tactician is aware that he'd be judged based on results rather than efforts and has admitted that his days could be numbered at the club.
"You won't judge me by my work," he told the media ahead of this weekend's clash with Real Betis in La Liga. "There is not the same patience. City and other clubs have nothing to do with Barcelona. I am sure Pep [Guardiola] knows that. The level of demand, stress, the need to win. It is different here. This is a huge club and you will demand that I win."
"Winning is a consequence of a style. There have been very good matches, others not so good. Some we played well but didn't get the result. In Munich, for example. You told me this was about winning. This is Barcelona. We understand that winning comes from playing well. Here, there isn't as much patience, I know that," the tactician added.
Xavi needs to adjust his system to make Barcelona effective
Xavi's system of utilizing four midfielders and just two attackers seems to be doing more bad than good to Barcelona. The system makes it easier for opposition defenses to suffocate the Blaugrana's attackers, with Robert Lewandowski recently coming out to complain against it.
With the introduction of Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix, alongside the return of Raphinha and the continued rise of Lamine Yamal, Barca now have more than enough players to create threats on the wings.
The ball, however, is now in Xavi's court to adjust his system and start fielding three attackers in his lineup.