FC Barcelona Board ‘Want More’ From Under Pressure Xavi Following Back-To-Back Defeats

FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez’s stock with president Joan Laporta and his board is dropping after a slump in results, according to a report, as the club’s higher ups expect more from the legendary midfielder in the dugout.

Xavi was “very p*ssed off” with his team following their shock 1-0 loss to Almeria on Sunday.

“I’m angry because it was an opportunity to get to ten points [clear] and we didn’t get it,” he said in reference to the title race.

“It was a golden opportunity with Madrid having drawn and we played the worst game at the worst moment of the season.”

Almeria’s first win in club history over the Blaugrana was the visitors’ second consecutive defeat following the Europa League exit at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Thursday.

According to a report from AS on Monday morning, patience is starting to wear thin with Xavi as Laporta is starting to see “that the effort made based on [economic] levers and the debts of the club does not have correspondence on the pitch for now”.

Barca effectively mortgaged the club’s future TV revenues in order to splash out €158mn ($166mn) on new signings such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha in the summer.

These players have enjoyed mixed fortunes since joining the club. While Lewandowski and Kounde came racing out of the tracks, they, like the rest of the team, have hit a bump in the road at the business end of the season while Raphinha’s form has been erratic.

It is said that the result at the Bernabeu this week will further determine Xavi’s popularity, which is in decline.

On Thursday, Barca meet their bitter rivals Real Madrid there in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

High on spirits after pummelling Liverpool with a 5-2 comeback win in the Champions League, Los Blancos would love nothing more than torpedoing the Catalans even further into the abyss.

Though the Copa del Rey is considered inferior to the League, which is Barca’s priority, losing face against Real Madrid would not bode well for Xavi.

A domestic double should be the target. But should Xavi also slip up and squander the seven point lead in the Spanish top flight, he could be gone by the summer.