The three points that FC Barcelona won in their last match against Celta Vigo with a penalty in the very final minutes turned out to be very important for the Catalans, especially as the league leaders Real Madrid could only get a draw against Rayo Vallecano.
Thus, the difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid on the league table has now shrunk to eight points, and this state of affairs has brought a degree of calmness into the Catalan club.
With this calm, the voices that called for an immediate change in the locker room, instead of waiting till the end of the season, have become more subdued.
According to a report from SPORT, this thought was gaining ground at the club previously, but President Joan Laporta had never succumbed to it, and had always kept his faith in Xavi.
This definitely makes sense as Laporta has never been too keen to dismiss a coach in his ten years as the club’s president, and has dismissed only one coach.
Of the four coaches that Laporta has worked with, Frank Rijkaard ended his contract and was not offered a renewal; Pep Guardiola was kept in charge; only Ronald Koeman was dismissed; and now Xavi has resigned from his position.
Therefore, despite the reports coming out of the club that Xavi will be dismissed if Barcelona are unable to advance to the quarter-finals with a victory over Napoli, Laporta’s past does not suggest that he would be too keen to pull the plug on Xavi midseason. This is especially the case as Laporta does not believe changing coaches in the middle of the season is good for the team.
Thus, despite the inconsistency of results experienced throughout this season, it is unlikely that Laporta will dismiss Xavi, a coach that he himself appointed after sacking Koeman, especially keeping in view his past with other managers he has worked with.
