Xavi reflects on his final season at Barcelona with self-criticism – ‘The standards kept dropping’ | OneFootball

Xavi Hernandez took over the reins as FC Barcelona manager in late 2021 when the club was going through a difficult period.

Despite the circumstances, the former midfielder and club legend managed to bring success to the club, winning the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup in his second season in charge.

However, things went downhill for Barça and Xavi in the 2023/24 campaign, eventually leading to his sacking at the end of the season.

Xavi opens up on Barcelona managerial stint

Now, during a leadership conference at ESIC University, Xavi took a candid look back at his tenure as Barcelona manager, reflecting on his beginnings, his management style, and how things changed from the beginning to the end.

Xavi acknowledged: “I began my coaching career at Barça with high expectations for both the players and the club. The club was coming from a period where there weren’t many demands.”

Xavi was sacked by Barcelona in 2024. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

However, the legendary midfielder admitted that he made a mistake by not sticking to those high standards after achieving success.

“But my mistake was maintaining those high standards for only one year, from when I arrived until we won La Liga, the Super Cup…,” he noted.

Looking back on his final season (2023–2024), Xavi admitted: “Later on, I was able to be self-critical and I said to myself, ‘Damn, what happened to me?’”

He went on to identify the root of the decline: “I had lowered those high standards and the players no longer had the same attitude, the same respect, the same effort. The standards kept dropping until, in my last season, we didn’t win anything.”

The former coach concluded that this experience forced him to learn and grow: “I learned a lot from it. I had to be self-critical.”

Since leaving Barcelona, Xavi has had offers to coach several clubs, but has refrained from returning to management for now.

Source: Mundo Deportivo