Xavi reveals two reasons behind decision to stay at Barcelona

Xavi has announced that he is staying on as Barcelona’s head coach, claiming that the support he has received from fans and the need for ‘stability’ as key reasons behind his decision to remain at the club.

The 44-year-old stunned Barcelona’s players in January by announcing his intention to step down at the end of the season.

Xavi guided Barca to victory in La Liga last term but looks set to end this season without a trophy as his side currently sit 11 points behind Real Madrid in La Liga and are out of the Champions League after they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter final last week.

However, Xavi will now have another chance to win more silverware with Barca after confirming that he will be in charge for the start of next season.

‘Everybody knows my feelings for this club, I’ve always tried to do the best for Barcelona, it’s a club I know well, the most important thing is to think about the institution,’ Xavi said at a press conference on Thursday.

‘Yesterday, I was told my job is up to the results, I’ve received a lot of confidence from the president, the board, the entire board and staff, it was important to have the support of my players as well.

‘We all believe this project needs to continue, as I told the president we believe in the stability of the club, I’ve seen now this project isn’t finished yet, we need to continue, we’re working well, it looks like we will not win any titles but we have won in the past and I need the Barca community to understand this, that we need to keep working hard, consolidate the project, this is the reason why I’ve changed my decision.

‘With the strength to do so, all of us, to continue to work for the club, to give our best for the club. It’s true that a few months ago I thought the best decision was to leave, some three months ago, but yesterday, in a couple of minutes, we understood perfectly well this was the best decision to continue.

‘This is the best decision for the club, the members, I’m very grateful I can continue, now we are eager to bring stability to this project and to the club, so thank you everybody for your trust.

‘We’re excited to continue, my understanding with Deco is perfect, we have a great understanding between the two of us. And also I notice it from the Barca fans in the streets, they give me the trust and confidence, I had the feeling this project wasn’t finished yet, I need to continue, and the fans gave me that love, I feel it on the streets and in the stadium, they want me to continue, the fans are still excited.

‘I think we lost our fight for titles in four days and it’s a shame and we will need to work on those details. Next season we’re going to continue to fight hard with a lot of excitement, so that’s the reason for my change in decision.

‘This was not an easy decision to make, I also communicated to the entire board, Deco, the president that quite frankly I think it’s the best for the club. I thought that then and my opinion now is this.

‘We spoke yesterday very directly and I said I don’t think this project isn’t finished yet, that we have a lot of options to continue and to do so in a winning way. I was 100 per cent convinced and I told the president that.

‘I’m excited, a lot of things have changed in three months, the excitement for example, we see this in the players, and that’s another reason for my decision, players have given me all their trust and confidence and I speak a lot with them and that has also wat’s made me change my mind.

‘I’m here to rectify my decision, I have no problem admitting that, I don’t have a lot of ego, it’s not about money either, I love Barca, it’s a great project, a lot of young players have made their debuts, I’m very proud of this team, even when we have lost, and it’s one of the reasons why we have decided to continue.

‘Of course, the trust of the president and Deco, this doesn’t have anything to do with egos or money, I have the confidence of everybody and that’s why we’re here and continuing.’

When asked who Barcelona targeted as Xavi’s replacement, Barca president Joan Laporta replied: ‘What I can’t do right now is give you names and information.

‘When Xavi decided to leave as coach it was a surprise for us, I said then I knew who Xavi was and this formula was going to unite us, of course, if we had one it would’ve been an obvious decision.

‘In that moment there was a doubt if he was going to have the strength and excitement to continue, but after yesterday’s conversation which we didn’t manage to have yet because we’re fighting for the league and we want to finish on a high, but we were of course had a lot of excitement to reach the latter stages of the Champions League and had hopes we would be able to do that, the knockout round against Napoli and PSG, the way we were winning and competing in those games, it created a lot of excitement and joy.

‘So we knew this situation about the next manager would b a topic of conversation at some point. It was like a fire within Barca fans that we wanted to give that continuity at that moment, now after talking everybody agrees it’s important to give this project continuity and stability.

‘We need to focus on the positives of this season, and we think there are a lot of positive takeaways, as a group there’s a great blend of young and experienced players in this team. We know they’re all united, it’s been a while that I haven’t seen the Barca fans this excited about a team and we want to maintain this excitement, and that’s why we want Barca fans to continue to believe in this project, in this team, this coaching staff and the board as well.

‘We are convinced success will come, I insist that a project that comes from winning is capable of reaching success once again, especially with this group of players.’

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