Barcelona ceded the La Liga lead to Real Madrid, and the pressure is mounting on Barca boss Quique Setien to turn things around. It's almost sure that if the Catalans fail to retain the title, Quique will be sacked and the team will turn on club legend Xavi, who admitted calling the shots at Camp Nou excites him.
The Catalan was originally offered to manage Barcelona before Setien was appointed in January but declined as he was convinced he still lacks experience. The circumstances have changed, however, and Xavi said he is now preparing to assume the Barca top job.
According to Goal, Xavi and his staff are ready in the event the current manager gets the boot. And the rumored firing is highly likely as Setien only managed to steer Barcelona to three draws in the club's last four games. It seemed inevitable that Barcelona will be dethroned this season and Real will snatch the championship.
Once he is in charge, Xavi said the primary goal is to put the team back into shape "and get Barca back to winning ways."
"I would like to return at the right moment to start a project from zero ... I want to take footballing decisions at Barcelona," the 40-year-old was reported as saying.
The tradition of winning is strong on the former midfielder. His 17 years of stay with the Barcelona first-team led to 25 titles for the club, and it's quite obvious that the Catalan is bent to continue on that path when he becomes the team manager.
Juan Antonio Pizzi, a former teammate, said coaching Barcelona seemed a destiny for Xavi, adding the club, and the legendary player will certainly share a bright future.
When he gets in, Xavi's immediate concern is to reconstruct a Barcelona front line that failed to impress in the current campaign. The Sun, the move to recruit Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan should be a good start for the new coach as the 22-year-old striker will serve as a suitable replacement for Luis Suarez.
The next to be resolved is the offloading of Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho, and Ousmane Dembele as their sale will allow Xavi to maneuver for the return of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar.
It's no secret that the Brazilian has been plotting to return to the side he left in 2017, and Lionel Messi is only too happy to reunite with the prolific goalscorer. Messi and Neymar on the pitch together will enable Xavi to maximize the former's last playing years, and perhaps up whip up a new Barcelona to dominate Spain and European football again.
