Barcelona dressing room surprised by the number of ‘days off’ Xavi gives the squad

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez finds himself under intense scrutiny following a difficult past month or so, with the recent 2-4 loss to Girona at home only ramping up the pressure on him.

Over the past couple of days, a number of intriguing reports have been doing the rounds in the Spanish media.

Some suggest that there is some unrest brewing within the locker room , while some members of the board do not see things the same way as the manager and are starting to lose confidence in him.

Not to forget, the alleged interference from Barcelona president Joan Laporta in naming the squad list for tonight’s UEFA Champions League game against Royal Antwerp.

Barcelona dressing room surprised by the number of days off

Now, Que T’hi Jugues (h/t AS) has revealed that some players in the Barcelona dressing room, including some of the “heavyweights”, are surprised by the number of days off Xavi gives the squad.

Xavi made popular last season the famous “challenges”, wherein players were rewarded with days off if they achieved certain objectives and targets.

And it appears that some of the players in the locker room are surprised by the amount of time off they are granted by the manager.

It is perhaps a bit strange that this alleged issue never surfaced when the team was winning the title last season and has now come up when things are not going so well.

As such, it would be best to take these reports with a pinch of salt.

Despite all the speculations, Laporta and Deco have publicly given their vote of confidence to Xavi. And the focus of the team must be on turning things around, starting with tonight’s match against Royal Antwerp.