Barcelona president talks Xavi, Napoli, Champions League: “Have a higher chance of reaching quarters”

Barcelona have entered one of their most difficult periods since Xavi has taken over the helm.

With the team dropping points on the regular and dismaying results becoming a recurring theme, a lot has been said about Xavi’s characteristics as a coach, with the pressure on the hot seat only mounting for the Barça legend.

However, amidst the uncertainty over his future, Joan Laporta continues to pour his faith in Xavi and once again conveys optimism moving forward.

In the traditional Christmas lunch organized by the Blaugranes with the media, Laporta acknowledged the trials they are facing right now but assured the team will try its best to conclude the season on a positive note by overtaking their rivals in the league standing.

“We are going through a difficult time. I agree with Xavi that we do not finish the games. We are making progress and I think our rivals will also have a downturn; I think that, at that moment, Barça will be stronger.

We cannot fail against Almería and I am convinced that, sooner or later, we will catch our rivals for the lead in the League. The important thing is how we finish, not how we start,” he remarked, via SPORT.

Champions League Round of 16 draw

The Catalan giants recently discovered their Champions League round of 16 opponents, being drawn against Italian heavyweights, Napoli.

Commenting on the tie, Laporta argued the team has what it takes to qualify for the next round, claiming:

“Against Napoli, we have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals; I’m sure Xavi will know how to deactivate their forwards.”

Touching upon the media’s role in ongoing affairs, Laporta expressed the importance of objective criticism.

“We accept criticism as long as it comes from objectivity and from a good practice of your profession, we accept it and we try to help us to improve.

With critical journalism, we tell them that we are very self-critical with ourselves, so as not to fall into complacency, which is the worst enemy of success. What we try to do is to move from fierce criticism to a more objective one in our actions, but with this we could do a doctoral thesis and never finish”. he said.

The club President concluded his speech by thanking the journalists, stating:

“I wanted to say a few words of thanks to those of you who have accompanied us this year and have told Barça members and fans about the economic, sporting and institutional sporting dynamics.

Obviously, praise is always welcome, thank you for that, but especially those addressed to the players, who are the ones we like the most”.