6th November 20233 marks Xavi Hernandez’s second anniversary as the FC Barcelona coach. The former midfielder was appointed as the head coach at the club, where he spent almost all his career as a player, forming one of the most celebrated midfields in the history of Barcelona and one of the most celebrated teams in the history of football.
Xavi came at one of the most difficult periods in the club’s history. The club had been reeling from the mismanagement of Josep Maria Bartomeu’s administration, which had put the long-term survival of the club at stake. The club was also suffering at a sporting level, particularly from its humiliating defeats in the UEFA Champions League in the past few years.
Xavi promises for more to come
With the very limited resources available to the club, Xavi has done a good job of making the Catalan club a competitive unit once again. As SPORT has noted, the former midfielder himself assessed his time as a Barcelona coach in the press conference before the match against Shakhtar Donetsk, and overall gave himself a passing mark and also gave his staff credit for this:
“As a summary, I would say that we have been meeting the objectives we set for ourselves… Both the staff, the players, and the club have done a good job during this time. We have met the objectives, but there’s still more to come.”
Two years at the club
Xavi also recalled the two seasons he has overseen from the Barcelona bench, both of them having their share of happy and sad days:
“We reached the halfway point of the season in a very difficult situation in terms of numbers and standings, but we managed to save it (finishing second and qualifying for the Champions League). The second season was very positive in terms of results, with two titles, La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, and many moments of good football.”
Thus, it is clear from Xavi’s comments that he is looking to improve his team further after having won La Liga last season. The UEFA Champions League is the only competition remaining where Xavi now has to prove himself, but the team has also nearly met its objectives for the first part of this competition as well.