Xavi Is ‘Doing Well’ As FC Barcelona Coach And Was An ‘Amazing Player’

Robert Lewandowski has hailed his FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez, who he says was an “amazing player” and is “doing well’ in the dugout.

Lewandowski joined the Blaugrana in the summer as part of a €50mn ($53.5mn) transfer from Bayern Munich. Many questioned the price tag given the Pole’s age, 34, and Barca’s financial difficulties yet Lewandowski has been a roaring success at Camp Nou with 23 goals in 26 matches across all competitions.

As Barca prepare to take on Villarreal away in La Liga on Sunday, Lewandowski conceded a short interview to beIN Sports where he was asked what he thought about Xavi as a coach.

“From the first minute you see that he was an amazing player, and that is what is around him as a coach now,” Lewandowski said, as per Xavi’s aura.

“He still has this feeling that what he is doing is right, what he is doing is or what he wants to tell us is correct. So you believe [it]. You believe [it] and you know that that way is correct. And that’s why you can support him and follow him and go in the same way.”

“Of course he was an amazing player,” said Lewandowski, who played against Xavi during the coach’s playing days.

“He was like a number 6, a number 8. He saw everything on the pitch, what’s going on behind, what’s going on forward, on [the] offensive. I know that from this kind of position that you have been as a player, you see even more.

“And now, as a coach, he also has experience. He was in one club [Al-Sadd in Qatar] for two years and I think that is very important to understand the difference between the players and the coach – even if you were an amazing player. But to be an amazing coach, sometimes it’s a small difference but the difference makes [an impact] in the disasters. I’m sure Xavi understands what he needs to do, and he’s doing this well,” Lewandowski insisted.

With Barca currently leading La Liga by eight points, Lewandowski also touched on the weight that has been taken off of the players by delivering a first trophy under Xavi.

In January, the Catalans beat bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-1 in Riyadh in the Spanish Super Cup final with Lewandowski scoring an important goal assisted by the star of the show in 18-year-old sensation Gavi.

“Up until this first trophy, I have to say that I felt the directive that ‘Ok, I’m here in Barcelona’ and 1676029953 I’m the player or the guy who already won something with the club,” Lewandowski explained.

“Now of course we can think forward, we can think about the next title, about the future. But, after this title, I felt that I am at home. Like a feeling, not that you have to prove something .. but with this team, I can look forward and see what we are going to achieve or what we are going to do.”

Lewandowski pointed to how Spain differs to other countries in that the Super Cup is played midway through the season rather than at the start, but still he feels the win was “very important” for the players and also the youngsters “to want the titles, to feel more comfortable” and “to feel more self confidence” for the upcoming games.

“I think the team got this feeling after this first title,” Lewandowski concluded.

Should they get back to the locker room, Lewandowski’s comments are bound to boost morale and a strong sense of team spirit already evident in Gavi’s viral goal celebration against Sevilla at the weekend.

Though he might not wear the armband, Lewandowski has proven himself to be a leader at Barca who has taken youngsters such as Gavi and Ansu Fati under his wing while only boasting a positive influence on them due to his unrivaled professionalism.