“You feel a lot of pressure” - Xavi sends warning to his replacement at Barcelona
Barcelona manager Xavi has refused to comment on potential successors amid rumors linking Luis Enrique with a return to the club, insisting that he is only focused on their next game.
Xavi is set to leave the club this summer following a turbulent campaign. A run of three heavy defeats within a few days in February was the last straw for the embattled coach.
He first saw his side battered 4-1 by arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup final, followed by a 4-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey. Completing the triple whammy were Villarreal, who stunned Barcelona 5-3 at their stadium in La Liga.
Unless they go all the way in the Champions League or overturn the five-point gap on league leaders Madrid, who also have a game in hand, the reigning Spanish champions will end the season trophyless.
At a press conference ahead of their La Liga clash with Mallorca, Xavi was asked about his opinion on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Enrique being linked with Barcelona. He evaded the rumors but did mention that coaching a club of Barca's stature comes with a lot of pressure.
He said:
"I will not talk about coaches for the next season. We are facing an important match to connect to La Liga. We have to concentrate, Mallorca is doing things well: they have beaten Girona, they are in the Cup final after beating Real Sociedad.
"Coaching Barça is maximum pressure. Maximum pressure, daily. Ancelotti already said that he didn't suffer and he enjoyed it. You feel a lot of pressure. It's normal, it's Barça."
Xavi took over as Barcelona's head coach in November 2022, guiding them to the La Liga title last season.
Treble-winning Enrique could bring glory days back to Barcelona
On Friday, Barcelona labored to an unconvincing 1-0 win over Mallorca, who are 15th in the La Liga standings. This isn't a one-off - most of their recent wins have been unsatisfying with the Blaugrana winning by one-goal margins courtesy of a late winner.
Luis Enrique led the side to a second treble in 2015, followed by a domestic double, and could be the man to restore the glory days at Camp Nou.
Although he'd be managing a completely different squad this time around, he also guided Spain to the UEFA Nations League final in 2021. He knows how to rebuild fallen giants, and Barcelona will be hoping for more of the same if he's appointed as their head coach once again.