Ilkay Gündogan backs Barcelona boss Xavi

Many have come out in defence of Xavi Hernández and his work at Barcelona over the last week. In a difficult few days after the defeat to Shakhtar in the Champions League and the poor performances against Real Sociedad and Alavés, heavyweights from past and present have been keen to stress that there is no one better to lead the team.

This has been done by his former teammates, Gerard Piqué, who said on Rac1 that Xavi was the “ideal” coach to improve Barça, and Carles Puyol, who visited him at the club’s training ground this week and is convinced that he will be able to turn the team’s fortunes around.

Inside the club, Deco and Joan Laporta have made it clear that there is no discussion whatsoever about the coach and sent him all their support. “I have no doubt that Xavi is the best coach for Barça. He is the best coach for this project that was started a few years ago. He accepted the challenge of coming at an important time and he is the perfect coach to rebuild everything we are trying to rebuild,” said the sporting director and former Blaugrana player. These words were echoed by the president. “We are totally on the side of our coach and we are proud to have Xavi as our coach because of his professional and human qualities. We are a team here.”

Gündogan backs Xavi

The last to speak was Ilkay Gündogan who, in an interview with Turkish media outlet Sporx, acknowledged that Xavi was key to his arrival at Barcelona and that he gets on well with him. “I have a good relationship with Xavi. I came to Barcelona because of him and I spoke to him twice before talking on the phone,” he said.

Leaving Man City and Pep

The German midfielder, who after the Clásico was in the eye of the storm for his statements about his teammates’ response to the defeat, acknowledged that playing for Barça was “a dream” for him and that this summer he was finally able to fulfil it. However, he also admitted that it was “not easy” to leave Manchester City.

Under Pep Guardiola, Gündogan won the treble and to this day, he is still in contact with the coach from Santpedor. “I recently visited Pep at his home in Barcelona and we talked. He told me that if I or my family needed anything in Barcelona, I could always contact him.”

Gündogan also believes that the two coaches have a “similar” vision of football, but that Guardiola has “many more years of experience”.