"I began my coaching career at Barça with high expectations for both the players and the club. The club was coming from a period where there weren't many demands. But my mistake was maintaining those high standards for only one year, from when I arrived until we won La Liga, the Super Cup... Later on, I was able to be self-critical and I said to myself, 'Damn, what happened to me?'"
"I had lowered those high standards and the players no longer had the same attitude, the same respect, the same effort. The standards kept dropping until, in my last season, we didn't win anything. I learned a lot from it. I had to be self-critical."
Xavi Hernández took over FC Barcelona in late 2021 during a difficult period and achieved immediate success, winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in his second season. The 2023/24 campaign saw a decline that culminated in his sacking at the end of the season. At a leadership conference at ESIC University he reflected that he began with high expectations but maintained those standards for only one year. He acknowledged that lowering standards led to reduced player attitude, respect, and effort, produced a winless final season, and forced him to become self-critical and learn. Since leaving Barcelona he has received coaching offers but is not returning to management for now.
Read at Barca Universal
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