Xavi and Deco’s relationship in troubled waters in the aftermath of Barcelona’s latest setback

Journalist Gerard Romero is reporting that the relationship between Barcelona manager Xavi and sporting director Deco has been affected after the comments made between them.

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Royal Antwerp, Xavi decided to rest four key players.

A day before the match, though, the likes of Ronald Araujo, Robert Lewandowski, and Ilkay Gundogan were all added to the squad list.

We reported before that the step was taken in accordance with Joan Laporta’s insistence, who asked the manager to add these players as a precautionary measure.

“The squad list is agreed upon with the president, Deco, and the players,” said Xavi about his travelling team.

Reacting to the manager’s comments, Deco played down his claim, saying that the selection of the players is solely dependent on the manager and nothing was agreed with the board.

“We have not agreed on anything. The Squad List is a matter for the coach,” said the sporting director.

Cracks within the wall

There are reports that suggest some kind of unrest and disruption has started to occur within the Barcelona locker room. As a result, the Barcelona board is slowly starting to question Xavi’s managerial skills.

In all fairness, these doubts are certainly not based on the current form. Rather, it happens to be a series of instances, including the fact that he has a lower win percentage than former Barcelona coach Quique Setien.

Regardless of that, though, Laporta wishes to grant some time, but the manager seems to be beating around the bush by consistently saying that this team happens to be a work in progress.

Right now, Barcelona are not planning to take any immediate action, but it is suggested by Romero that the relationship between the manager and the sporting director is starting to get a hit.

Romero further goes on to add that Xavi is starting to feel ‘alone’ at Barcelona and is angry at Deco for what he said prior to the match against Royal Antwerp.

Everyone in the Barcelona office is asked to keep a tight lip over the matter and this is because the management wants to sort this out internally before delivering the final verdict.