Xavi: This is Almost Certainly My Last Season

The legendary midfielder once again admitted his dream is to coach Barcelona

Former FC Barcelona great Xavi has strongly suggested that this will be his last season as a player before he starts preparations in earnest to be a coach.

The Al-Sadd player said “this will almost certainly be my last season as a player,” in an interview with Corriere dello Sport.

“I already think like a coach,” Xavi said. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, but coaching Barcelona would be the dream.”

Speaking of coaches he admired, Xavi cited his former boss Pep Guardiola: ”Guardiola is a great coach, I admire him very much and he had a huge influence on my idea of football. My philosophy is very similar to his, I want to have control of the ball. I have also studied [Maurizio] Sarri, his Chelsea is amazing now.”

He also professed respect for two other Italian managers, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.

Xavi also spoke about Barcelona’s upcoming meeting against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, a team that eliminated him in 2010: ”I remember that semifinal very well. It was a shame to be eliminated after having dominated the whole game, but that’s football. On Wednesday, Barcelona will take control of the game, while Inter will defend and counter. I see the blaugrana as favorite, despite not having Messi, the best footballer in the world.”.”

Source: barcablaugranes.com