Former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has warned club legend Xavi Hernandez that it is not the right time for the 41-year-old to return to the Camp Nou and replace Ronald Koeman as manager.
Koeman is under increased pressure following Wednesday’s dismal 3-0 defeat to Benfica in the Champions League. Xavi is one of four names linked with the post, as reported by Diario Sport.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, former Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo, and River Plate’s Marcelo Gallardo are all thought to be on president Joan Laporta’s shortlist, according to RAC1.
Suarez has told Jordi Gil at Diario Sport that although he thinks Xavi is a “very qualified coach” he thinks the former midfielder should wait before he takes on the job of his dreams at the Camp Nou.
“As a football fan and what he’s done as a player, I don’t think that today, tomorrow or the day after is the time. He is intelligent and knows the difficulty of the club. He must wait for the right moment,” he said. “He already has colleagues inside the club, with whom he will have to make decisions and it will be difficult.”
Suarez also added that Xavi should wait for the right time so that when he does make it back to Barcelona he can “be as great as a coach as he was as a player.”
Xavi is currently in his first managerial role with Qatari side Al-Sadd. He guided his team to the league championship last season, without losing a single game, and signed a contract extension in May 2021 that runs until 2023.
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Koeman To Stay In Charge For Now?
Koeman does look set to stay in charge of Barcelona for now at least. According to Marca, the Dutch coach will remain as coach for Saturday’s visit to defending champions Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
However, the 58-year-old will once again be forced to watch the match in the stands as he completes a two-match suspension for his red card in the goalless draw against Cadiz.
Koeman was also in the stands for Saturday’s 3-0 win over Levante last time out in La Liga but was back on the bench for Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat to Benfica that has seriously hurt the team’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The loss has left the Catalan giants with zero points from their opening two group stage matches. Barca have also failed to score a goal in both games which is a first for the club in European competition, as reported by Opta.
Iniesta Backs Xavi To Take Charge
President Laporta is reported to have questioned whether Xavi has the experience to take over as Barcelona manager right now, but the midfielder’s former teammate Andres Iniesta has no doubts he’s the right man for the job.
The Vissel Kobe midfielder told Diario Sport that he can imagine seeing Xavi back at Barcelona and sitting on the bench.
“I think so, yes. If you ask me if I imagine Xavi on the Barca bench,” he said. “Above all because he’s been preparing and training to coach Barca. He has the confidence to take on this challenge.”
Xavi has always appeared destined to head back to Barcelona and has readily admitted it’s his dream to coach the Catalans. However, it’s still not clear if Barca will move for their club legend now or if they still feel he needs more time to develop as a coach.
READ NEXT: Koeman Discusses His Barcelona Future After UCL Defeat
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