Laporta: “I won’t fire Xavi because he doesn’t deserve it”
The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, confirmed this Friday his desire for coach Javi Hernández to “continue until the end of the season” and promised not to sack him because “he doesn’t deserve it.”
Xavi is a legend
“I want Xavi to continue with the formula we have adopted until the end of the season. This is the best for this season. I’m not taking Javi away because he doesn’t deserve it.. He deserves our trust,” Laporta told RAC1.
The head of FC Barcelona admitted that the Barca team will need “some luck” to return to La Liga, in which they are ten points behind leaders Real Madrid, and assessed that they have “the template to beat Naples ” in the round of 16 of the Champions League in a draw that will be “very important.”
“The template should be better than we are. We had injuries to key players in our system, such as Pedri, Ter Stegen, De Jong or Gavi. What suffered was a team that had won the League with some authority and that was destined to be ten points behind the top by that point. This was not what was planned and we are working to rectify the situation,” he explained.
Laporta said that if there was a coach other than Xavi in the current situation, he would fire him and would not accept this formula, but he believes that in the current situation it is what is best for Barça and “it can work.” And in that sense, he added: “Javi is honest, so if it doesn’t work, he can tell us what he wants to tell us.”
The Catalan club’s president explained that the possibility of sacking Xavi was “never considered” because “he had a contract” and they “always” wanted him as coach.
Substitution for Xavi
When asked about the future coach of Barcelona, Laporta replied that he delegated this question to sporting director Anderson de Souza “Deco”, but clarified that “the possibilities are very limited to “a coach with a certain track record”“, unless the club makes a “more creative decision.”
In general, Laporta explained that the Mexican Rafa Marquez, coach of Barca’s reserve team, is not excluded: “Rafa trains at home, he knows the players who arrive and that is his advantage. Sports structure: “When I say I was prepared for emergencies, this is what I mean. This means the appointment of a second team coach.”
On the other hand, the president of FC Barcelona admitted that Deco is working to ensure that Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix, loaned to the Catalan club until the end of the season, continue to work in the team.