The world champion launches a strong criticism against Xavi: His statements are deemed inconsistent with Barcelona's identity.
Renowned Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque has launched a critical assessment of Barcelona's coach, Xavi Hernandez, questioning his team's ability to uphold the traditional Barcelona style in the face of deep-lying defenses.
Despite Xavi leading Barcelona to victory in the Spanish League last season, Del Bosque expressed concern about the team's current identity. In an interview with "Cadena Ser," the former coach of the Spanish national team and Real Madrid remarked, "The big teams always play against teams that retreat deep and make the spaces very narrow. Barcelona’s identity was distinguished by the ability to open the match and create spaces, and this is what they lack now, contrary to what Xavi is talking about."
Del Bosque, who led Spain to win the World Cup in 2010, emphasized the importance of a coach setting ambitious goals for their team, even if those goals are challenging to achieve.
In a separate context, Del Bosque offered praise for Carlo Ancelotti, the current coach of Real Madrid, stating that Ancelotti represents the club well, except for some occasional rare instances.
Currently, Real Madrid holds the second position in the Spanish League table with 29 points, just two points behind leaders Girona. Meanwhile, Barcelona sits in third place with 27 points. In the Champions League, Real Madrid has already secured a spot in the round of 16, awaiting further clarification of their position after the fifth round.