Barcelona boss Xavi has revealed he will leave his boyhood club if he cannot carry them to a “competitive level” by the end of the 2023-24 season.
Barcelona Have Little Hope Of Silverware This Season
The Blaugrana succumbed to a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Athletic Bilbao at San Mames in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Wednesday night (January 24). It marked their second big cup defeat in January, with them previously losing 4-1 to Real Madrid in the final of the Supercopa de Espana. Barcelona have also been below their best in La Liga this season. Amassing 44 points from 20 games, they are sitting in third place in the rankings, eight points behind current leaders Girona.
They have a little hope in the UEFA Champions League, having qualified for the Round of 16 after a two-year hiatus. However, considering how the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid have performed this season, Barca will have to do something extra special to get to the business end of the competition.
Xavi Says He Will Leave If He Cannot Turn Barca Into A Winning Team
Speaking to the press after the defeat at San Mames, Xavi claimed Barca had a bright future ahead of them but admitted he might not be the one to shape it.
The former Al-Sadd manager said (via The Mirror):
“I say it again now: if we are not at a competitive level at the end of the season, I will leave.
“All coaches at big clubs depend on trophies, but I feel pride at how we competed against a great team until the end, especially the youngsters. We’re playing with kids. The squad is small. This is what I mean when I say we are in construction. I think this is the start of something big. Whether I am here or not, Barca have a big future.”
He continued:
“There is a really good project, not in terms of me as a coach, in terms of a really good generation coming through. [Pau] Cubarsi, [Hector] Fort, Lamine, [Marc] Guiu and many more players [like] Fermin López. I think it’s the start of something big, but we have to work hard and we have to win. It’s about winning at Barca.”
Barcelona will play two La Liga games in the next six days, giving them the perfect opportunity to bounce back from the Copa del Rey setback. They will first welcome Villarreal on January 27 before hosting CA Osasuna on January 31.
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