Xavi on Barcelona stay – ‘I felt responsible for what was happening in January, but now…’ | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has suggested that his players were not giving their all before he announced his departure in January, which he has since U-turned on. Following a 4-2 win over Valencia, he said he was feeling good about things again.

“I’m very good, I explained it the other day in a natural way. In January I felt responsible for the bad results and I thought the best thing was to step aside, but then I saw the confidence of the president, of Deco, of the club and in particular of the footballers, which is fundamental”

In general, he was asked about his emotional state after a presumably taxing week.

“Barca, above all. It’s very emotional. The Catalans and the cules are like that. Sometimes we do great and sometimes we all destroy it. I have felt the support of the club, Deco and the players.”

Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick, and put himself within three of top scorer Artem Dovbyk in the Pichichi race, and it was noted that his numbers are on the rise in the second half of the season.

“We try to be demanding with them. It is the history of this club. My decision to announce goodbye was move for meant to do so. Maybe they could have given more. So it was. I think that both at Montjuïc and at the Bernabeu we deserved much more.”

It was also reported ahead of the match that Xavi and Barcelona would assess Pepelu’s performance on the other side of them, with the 25-year-old a reported summer option for the Blaugrana in the position.

“I like many Valencia players, like Pepelu, Javi Guerra, [Jose] Gaya… The young players. Baraja deserves a lot of credit, there are always exciting footballers in Valencia.”

Xavi will now take his Barcelona side to Girona, where again he will test the impact of his decision to announce his exit and then continuity at the club. It seems the Blaugrana manager did not feel like the squad’s attitude was in the right place beforehand, which is a worrying sign.