April 12, (THEWILL)- Barcelona’s 2023/2024 season has taken a positive twist after a difficult start. The Catalan giants’ recent resurgence can be attributed to manager Xavi Hernandez’s decision to announce his departure at the end of the campaign, a move the manager believes prevented the season from becoming a “disaster.”
Xavi, who has been in charge of Barcelona for two and a half years, revealed his plans to leave the club following a 5-3 home defeat against Villarreal in January. The 44-year-old believed that this decision would free up his players, and it has indeed paid dividends, as Barcelona are currently on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The highlight of this run was an impressive 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Xavi believes that had he not made his decision public, the team would not have been able to compete at this level.
“With the decision made, I was sure we would be like this. If not, it would have been a disaster, and I told the President so,” Xavi said in a press conference. “I looked and looked around the club. If I hadn’t decided, we wouldn’t be competing by now.”
Despite their recent resurgence, Barcelona’s hopes of catching league leaders Real Madrid appear to be fading, with an eight-point gap separating the two sides. However, Xavi remains optimistic, stating that a victory over Cadiz this weekend could leave them just five points behind their rivals, setting up a thrilling Clasico clash at the Bernabeu Stadium next Sunday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
