Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has accepted he will be out of a job if he doesn’t win trophies this season after a difficult week for the Catalan club.
Barca were held to a 3-3 draw by Inter Milan at Camp Nou last week and will be knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages if the Serie A side beat Viktoria Plzen later this month.
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They were then beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday, which saw them replaced at the top of LaLiga by their Clasico rivals.
“Of course I would, but no one has said anything to me,” Xavi told a news conference on Wednesday when asked if he would understand if the club lost confidence in him.
“This is Barca. With the effort made by the club [in the transfer market] and the squad we have, we have to compete for trophies. And if we don’t win, as the president said, there will be consequences, starting with me.
“But I am going to give everything so that this works. At any moment I could lose the club’s support, tomorrow even. This is football. We lost against Madrid, we’re almost out of [the Champions League], but I am always positive.”
Xavi said it is as if he’s suffered a family bereavement based on the messages of support he has received following the setbacks against Inter and Madrid.
That defeat in the Clasico led the Barca coach to say his team was “still in construction” and Madrid were “much more mature,” but he stands by his claim his side should be competing for the biggest trophies.
“That’s the feeling I have [that we can win titles],” he responded when asked if it was contradictory to promise success at the same time as asking for patience in a medium-term project.
“I have to be honest with the club, the players, the fans. I think we have built a team to win trophies. I have still got all the enthusiasm in the world, despite all the criticism over the last week.
“Everyone is sending me messages of support. Looking at my mobile, it’s as if a family member has died. If I don’t achieve [trophies], there will be consequences. But I am a calm, positive person. I think we have a squad to win things. If we don’t win, another coach will come in and try.”
Barca’s defeat to Madrid was their first in LaLiga this season and they remain just three points off top spot going into Thursday’s home game against Villarreal.
Hector Bellerin has recovered from an injury and is available once again, but Barca are still without Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Memphis Depay.
“Villarreal is the most important game right now,” Xavi added. “It’s a good chance to end the bad run. Playing well and picking up three points will be the best way to change the bad dynamic we’ve fallen into.”
