The managerial saga at FC Barcelona has flipped on itself. Xavi had announced in January his intention to step down from the managerial role at the end of the season, marking an end to his return to the Camp Nou. The situation seemed to be getting further out of hand after a UCL exit and an El Clasico defeat in a matter of days. In a recent development, however, the Barcelona icon revealed that he will remain in charge for next season as well, but his brother Oscar Hernandez might not be there to aid him.

On Wednesday evening, Xavi had a meeting with Joan Laporta, Deco and Rafa Yuste. Here, Xavi’s continuity for next season was assured but an important stipulation was laid bare. As per RAC1, the Barcelona board wants the manager to change two members of his coaching staff. They are Oscar Hernandez (assistant coach) and Ivan Torres (fitness coach). Xavi’s continuity means that he has likely agreed to the condition.

Notably, a major criticism aimed at Xavi was the relative inexperience of his coaching staff. It’s safe to say that the critics were not wrong. Oscar Hernandez started his managerial career in 2015 and Barcelona is his first European club in charge. Naturally, there was a longstanding debate on whether he was the ideal person for such a massive institution.

For Ivan Torres, the writing seemed to be on the wall. This season, the Culers have had more than 20 injury cases alone! It seemed rather inevitable that the medical and fitness staff would face the daggers. Unfortunately, Ivan seems to be the first casualty. However, a change in coaching staff is not the only demand instructed to Xavi.

The other two conditions that Xavi agreed upon

For Barcelona, the last few transfer windows haven’t exactly fireworks. The club has prioritized shrewd acquisitions over superstars. As a result, Barcelona has made free signings like Ilkay Gundogan, Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, and Marcos Alonso, in the past few campaigns. This strategy looks set to continue as Joan Laporta has informed Xavi of limited financial resources for transfers.

Additionally, the president has also laid out a sporting challenge to Xavi, to qualify for the Spanish Super Cup. To achieve this, Barcelona will have to finish top 2 in La Liga. With Real Madrid looking primed to win the league, the Catalan club will have to maintain their position. However, this won’t be an easy task with matches against Girona and Real Sociedad still remaining.

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