Only matter of time before Xavi manages Barcelona, admits Pep Guardiola
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Pep Guardiola believes that it’s only a matter of time before Xavi returns to Barcelona and takes over as their manager. The Manchester City manager made his name as a coach at Barcelona before taking over their first team and has since become one of the most successful managers in the world.
After a glittering playing career for Barcelona, Xavi left for Qatar and it’s domestic league, the Qatar Stars League, where he dominated yet again. The Spaniard, however, walked away from the Camp Nou as one of their most successful midfielders and arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game. He was a key part of Guardiola’s infamous Barcelona side and Spain’s golden generation but his former manager believes that he can do even more.
Now at Manchester City, Guardiola went on to admit that it’s only a matter of time before Xavi finds himself back at Barcelona albeit this time as their manager in the near future. The former Bayern Munich boss also went on to add that the 2010 World Cup winner's passion and dedication will help him as a manager especially once he arrives in Europe.
“Sooner or later it will happen. He is still very young, but it will happen. He understands football and has a lot of passion and dedication. He is brave and says things very clearly,” Guardiola said to Catalunya Radio.
It took time and effort for Guardiola to build that Barcelona side into what they became but he was helped by the fact that he inherited a very impressive squad. Not only that, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets’ arrival at the right time helped change the club alongside a few new additions brought in by Guardiola. The Spaniard went on to admit that while it was fun building the team, it was even better watching the players come together and become one.
“I had a great time. Between matches there wasn't much time to enjoy, but during the process of building the team I saw that the changes worked, and everything was flowing. I saw the behaviour amongst the players; the chemistry that grew and their respect for the shirt. It was interesting to know how they distributed wages, and everything was going well,” concluded the Spaniard.
