Barcelona Sporting Director Deco and manager Xavi Hernandez were the authors of a strange episode in midweek, after the former publicly contradicted the Blaugrana coach regarding who was in charge of choosing the squad. It has led to rumours of a rift between the two developing.
The pair are in contact almost daily to discuss team matters, with President Joan Laporta involved too. Yet Xavi felt attacked and is if he was hung out to dry by Deco on Wednesday night, as criticism of his management grows. It was described as difficult that their relationship could be turned around.
As per Relevo, there is a growing distance between the two. In spite of the effort that the two of them made to work together, Xavi is not as comfortable as he was with his predecessor, Jordi Cruyff, or ex-Director of Football, Mateu Alemany. The fact that Deco did not choose Xavi is working against him.
On the other hand, kingmaker Laporta has nailed his colours to the mast. He brought Deco in to replace Alemany, and was happy to give him full power in the process. It should not be forgotten that Laporta was initially hesitant to appoint Xavi, and he was linked to another presidential campaign – that of Victor Font.
For his part, Deco would prefer to have Rafael Marquez, currently in charge of Barcelona Atletic, who is decribed as his favourite. Laporta was intending to retain Xavi for at least the rest of his mandate, until 2026, but some members of the board have lost faith in him, asking the manager for explanations for his setup. There are reportedly ‘signs’ that the situation is impossible to turnaround say Relevo.
Working in Xavi’s favour, is that there are not too many candidates to take over. Marquez is close by, but also has little in the way of top-level experience, and would still be a risk. During Laporta’s time in charge of Barcelona, now a decade in total, he has always been reluctant to sack managers in midseason, with only Ronald Koeman suffering that ignominy. Xavi will be well aware that results are a necessity now though.
Xavi is not good Coach for big team’s like Barcelona