Xavi, who took over in November 2021, led Barcelona to win the local Super Cup and the league title last season, with the team built around a strong defence, but he is struggling this season defensively, and it was the first time the team had conceded five goals in a league match at home since. In 1963, losing to Villarreal on Saturday.
Xavi, whose contract with the Catalan club expires in 2025, said in a press conference after the match: “On June 30, I will leave the club. It is a decision I made with President Joan Laporta and the technical staff.”
He added that he made the decision in favor of the club, “I thought about the club and above all the players.”
He continued, saying: “I have a feeling that I am doing the right thing, and that I am acting with common sense. I think that the club needs a change in the dynamic. The dynamic is very negative.”
He explained that even if Barcelona wins the Champions League this season, he will not change his mind and stay, and he said that he still believes that his team is capable of winning titles this season.
He concluded by saying: “I am more optimistic than ever about this change in the dynamic. We will continue to compete for the league title. It is very difficult, but we will fight. I did not speak to the players about this matter. I saw how frustrated they were today and I will speak to them tomorrow, and this is one of the reasons.” “The reasons for this.”
Barcelona occupies third place with 44 points, ten points behind leaders Real Madrid and eight points behind second-placed Girona.
The team suffered a crushing defeat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final earlier this January and was eliminated from the King’s Cup quarter-finals by Athletic Bilbao last Wednesday.
