On Wednesday, Xavi Hernandez will face off against Luis Enrique for the first time as a manager. The pair had a very successful spell season together in 2014-15, when Barcelona won a famous treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League – on that occasion, Lucho was head coach, with Xavi as captain.
There is a lot of mutual respect between the pair, although Luis Enrique couldn’t resist claiming that his Paris Saint-Germain side fits more into the “Barcelona DNA” than Xavi’s does. The latter responded to this during his own press conference on Tuesday, during which he stated that they are both very similar, as per Diario AS.
“I’ve seen the remarks. That’s just Luis Enrique. I think you know what he’s like. I have all the respect in the world (for him). He’s got a team that’s ready to win the Champions League and that’s the intention. We’re both looking for the same thing. We can boast that Luis Enrique, Guardiola, Arteta and us have Barca DNA. Tomorrow we’ll be looking for the same thing: to dominate possession.
“I don’t see it as a duel between him and me. The players are the real protagonists. I’ve already said that we’re both looking for the same thing, don’t look into it because there’s no more controversy.”
Xavi also commented on that season he shared with Lucho in 2014-15.
“It was difficult at the beginning, but we finished with the treble and lifting the Champions League, with me as captain. There was a very good relationship between captain and coach, and I remember it with pride.”
It should be a very interesting tactical battle when Luis Enrique and Xavi meet over these next two matches between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. On paper, they look relatively level, so the coaches could be the determining factor.
