19-year-old Barcelona star ready to leave if Xavi continues as club's manager next season - Reports
According to El Nacional, attacker Vitor Roque is ready to leave Barcelona if Xavi continues at the helm next season.
Roque, 19, joined the Catalan club from Athletico Paranense in January. He has since made 12 appearances for the side, scoring twice. Roque, though, has started only one game since his arrival, against Celta de Vigo on February 17.
Robert Lewandowski has remained Xavi's first choice in the attack. Despite playing two full games for Poland in the recent international break, Lewandowski started Barca's most recent match against UD Las Palmas on March 30.
Roque, however, could have a window of opportunity. Lewandowski picked up his fifth yellow card against Las Palmas and has been ruled out of the game against Cadiz on April 13. With games against Paris Saint-Germain on both sides of the Cadiz clash, Roque could be handed an opportunity.
As per the aforementioned report, Roque already feels betrayed due to the promises made to him by Barcelona. He is reportedly ready to go out on loan next season if Xavi stays put as the manager.
The legendary midfielder has announced that he will step down at the end of the season. Barca president Joan Laporta, though, has expressed optimism that Xavi will reconsider his stance.
Barcelona manager Xavi reacts to the team's defensive improvement
Barcelona managed to keep a clean sheet in their latest La Liga showdown against UD Las Palmas. The team had a shaky defensive start to their season but have since improved.
They have now kept five consecutive clean sheets in La Liga. Speaking about his side's defensive improvement, Xavi told the media following the game against Las Palmas (via Barca Universal):
"Since the beginning of the season, I said that what we are exposed to is because of our mistakes and we must avoid that. Now we're entering a crucial stage of the season and I think we've improved that."
Defensive stability was one of the main reasons behind Barca winning the La Liga last season. While they had a troubling start to the 2023-24 season (conceding eight goals in first seven LaLiga games), Xavi's side has adapted well with time.