Xavi confirms he will leave Barcelona at end of season
- Xavi announced his plan to leave Barcelona after Saturday's 5-3 defeat to Villarreal
- Former midfielder has been under immense pressure for weeks after a series of poor results
- Players had publicly backed Xavi before his announcement
By Tom Gott
Xavi has confirmed he will step down from his position as Barcelona at the end of the season.
The former midfielder, who led Barcelona to La Liga glory last season, has been under immense pressure in recent weeks after a series of poor performances saw his side dumped out of the Supercopa de Espana and Copa del Rey, while Saturday's 5-3 defeat to Villarreal left Barca ten points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
Xavi was late to his post-match press conference as he met with president Joan Laporta, and when he did turn up, he confirmed he had agreed to step down this summer.
"I would like to announce that on June 30 I will not continue as coach of Barca," he said. "It is a decision that I have made with the president and Rafa Yuste. The situation deserves a change of course. It can't continue.
"I think the club needs a change of dynamic. As a cule, for the good of the players, I think they will free themselves. We play with a lot of tension. For the good of the board of directors, it is best that I leave.
"I will do my best. I think everything will help the dynamic change. This is the message I would like to give."
WILL THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW DELIVER?
Asked whether the decision to leave came as a result of Saturday's defeat, Xavi revealed: "I had decided on it a long time ago. I was just waiting for the right moment. Maybe not today [if Barca had won], but maybe next week."
Xavi went on to claim that he has struggled mentally during his time as Barcelona manager, insisting the pressure of the job is too much for anyone to withstand for long.
"The feeling of being a Barcelona coach is cruel, unpleasant, you feel disrespected," he claimed. "It's a terrible drain on your mental health, your mood, to the point that you say you don't have it in you to continue. My closest friends know it.
"It happened to all the coaches who have passed through this club. It is impossible for there to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson of Barcelona."
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