Xavi: “The expectations in Barça were very high compared to my story as a coach”

Xavi Hernández is the protagonist of the latest issue of ‘France football’. The one who was Barça coach until last season Break your silence to talk about football that loves so much and recognize that he listens to offers to return to the bench. It does not rule out anything, nor do I train another LaLiga EA Sports team That he was rival of ‘his’ Barcelona.

In the prestigious French magazine, Catalan remembers his career as a footballer and his passage as a coach for Barça, where he thinks he left his mark. Anyway, Xavi also recognizes that he did not end well and that His love to the club “sometimes” did not do any favor.

What he likes to see and wants to win

“I like to see the teams that play the ball. Trainers like Guardiola, Arne Slot in Liverpool, Kompany in Bayernbut also see Qatar championships, Saudi Arabia, Portugal … I want my players to have fun, develop an attractive football for the fans and win titles. QI want to win the Champions, the Eurocup, the World Cup …“

Future

“I have nothing fixed, I am open to listen to offers. Why not train another league team? I look for an exciting project, I have the ambition to win trophies.”

“Why not train another League team? I’m open to listen to offers

Philosophy

“Cruyff marked me a lot, for me football is first and foremost a game. Of course the goal is to win, but that is something natural if you play well and have fun in the field. My philosophy is based on four ‘P’: the pressure to quickly recover our ball; Possession, because if I don’t have the ball 90% of the time, I suffer; The position, each occupies an area and knows where their partner is; and perception, understand the game and anticipate to make the best decisions. I would even add a fifth ‘P’: the passion, because if the player feels realized, he will experience success more naturally. “

The best coaches

“The Masia and my position in the center of the country The best coaches are the eccentrocampists: Guardiola, Van Gaal, Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, Arteta … “

To the Barça bench

“Barça had already come to look for me twice before Laporta, but I still didn’t feel prepared. That’s why I was two and a half seasons in the SADD where I could train, try things and win titles.”

Train Barça

“My first year and a half in Barça was very, very good. We end seconds before winning LaLiga in 2023, in addition to the Spanish Super Cup. Then the results were less good. The exits of Jordi Cruyff and Mateu Alemany were hard blows. “

My deep attachment to Barça sometimes did not do any favor; Maybe sometimes he was too sentimental

“The club was in one of the worst situations in its history, even worse than in the early 2000s. The expectations were very high compared to my story as a coach. My deep attachment to Barça sometimes did not do any favor. Maybe sometimes it was too sentimental, but it was a real learning. ”

A religion

“I will never forget that day when my grandfather invited my whole family to Camp Nou to see a Joan Gamper. Barça is much more than football, it is almost a religion. When I saw Schuster With his blond hair I was amazed. Because of his way of playing, that stadium, that team… ”

Van Gaal

“I was a small footballer, he was neither strong or fast, but the game model of ‘Cruyffista’ corresponded perfectly to my qualities. My football was based on thought, on the ability to detect free spaces. I feel immense gratitude for all the coaches who extended this philosophy and in particular to Van Gaal, who opted for me and told me that he had an incredible talent. He believed in me … sometimes more than I believed in myself. “

The hard march of Figo to Madrid

“Luis Figo’s march in 2000 was a hard blow. It was a bit as if Messi, at his best, had left the club after winning the Golden Ball. Figo was our captain, our best player and joined Real Madrid, our eternal rival. He took us for three or four years raising his head. “

Guardiola

“Two years ago we did not win and asked Cruyff that who believed that he should take the reins of Barça and he responded without hesitation: ‘Guardiola’. He had played by his side and knew that he was a perfectionist and that he was obsessed with our game philosophy. He was convinced that he would succeed.”

The ‘Pep Team’

“With PEP I understood that I could compete with anyone and I could reach the top of my career. That Barça will be remembered. We had the best generation in the history of Spain, formed in the Masia, with the best player in history, Messi. I don’t know if we are the best team of all time, But only that it is said that it is among the four or five teams that could be a great privilege. “

The Golden Ball

“I do not consider myself a better footballer than Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, not at all. I was a creator of the game, but I did not have the ability to decide a game on my own. I am proud to have finished third three times … That photo with Iniesta and Leo is historical. For me, it is the victory of a philosophy, a unique recognition of our style and our inheritance. “

The best Spain

“Before it was utopian that a Spaniard could win the World Cup and with that generation we changed that mentality. Before, getting to the quarterfinals was already an achievement. Today, if we don’t win, it almost looks like a failure. We change the history of Spanish football. This team will be remembered forever. Luis Aragonés gave us a feeling of belonging, we were like a family. “