Xavi Hernandez is going to stop being the coach for Barcelona after this season. He says he couldn’t get the team out of a bad situation. Xavi told everyone about his decision on Saturday, just after Barcelona lost to Villarreal 5-3 in the Spanish league. This loss put them 10 points behind Real Madrid.
“I want to tell you that on June 30, I will stop being the coach of Barça,” Xavi said. “As a fan of Barcelona, I can’t let this situation keep going. We need things to change.”
Xavi made this decision a few days ago. Even though the tough loss to Villarreal made him announce it, he would have told everyone soon anyway. He hopes this decision will make his team less stressed.
Being the coach of Barcelona feels tough and unpleasant for Xavi. He thinks he doesn’t get the respect he should. It’s wearing him out, affecting his mental health and emotions. It got to the point where he felt he couldn’t continue. His loved ones know about this.
Xavi came back to Barcelona as the coach in November 2021. Before that, he only coached in Qatar. His contract goes until the end of next season.
Last season, the 44-year-old Xavi led Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup and the Spanish league title. These were the first trophies for the club since Lionel Messi left. The club took big risks to help him, signing players like Robert Lewandowski.
But this season has been hard for Barcelona. It looks like they might collapse. They lost a chance to get a title twice recently. First, they got out of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals by losing to Athletic Bilbao 4-2 in extra time. This happened two weeks after Real Madrid beat them in the Spanish Super Cup.
After the Villarreal loss, Xavi said his players lack “maturity” in holding onto leads. After the Bilbao loss, he emphasized that he had many young players on the team. But this seems strange because his starting lineup had experienced players like Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan, and younger talents like Pedri González and Frenkie de Jong.
Next month, Barcelona will play against Napoli in the Champions League round of 16. Xavi says he’s still motivated to lead the team in what seems like a difficult attempt to end his time with a European Cup.