FC Barcelona News

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is set to become the club’s new head coach after Al Sadd agreed to allow him to return to the Nou Camp.

The Qatari club have allowed Xavi to return to Spain after Barcelona paid a release clause to acquire the services of their former captain.

The 41-year-old is set to replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last week following a poor start to the campaign.

Al Sadd chief executive Turki Al-Ali said: “Xavi informed us a few days ago of his desire to go to Barcelona at this particular time, because of the critical stage his hometown club is going through, and we understand this and decided not to stand in his way.

“The Al Sadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract. We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future.

“Xavi is an important part of Al Sadd’s history and we wish him success.”

Xavi left Barcelona in 2015 after helping the club win 25 trophies, including four Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles, in 17 seasons.

The former Spain international joined Al Sadd as a player in 2015 and became their head coach after hanging up his boots in 2019.

In April, he led his side to the Qatari domestic league title with the team remaining unbeaten.

How good is Xavi the coach?

Xavi Hernandez going back at Barcelona is a moment laced with meaning. For a club that appears to have lost its identity, the return of the man who came to define the style of play for one of the world’s greatest-ever teams is undeniably symbolic.

Lionel Messi might have been a god at the Nou Camp, but Xavi was the defender of the faith, always the most vocal advocate of the Barcelona way. Even as a player, he espoused the virtues of the passing game, the possession football honed under Pep Guardiola.

Everyone in Barcelona knows how Xavi sees the game. Fewer fans are aware of what a Xavi team actually looks like – but for the past two years, he has been in charge of Al Sadd in Qatar. Strip away the emotion and the sentiment and who is Xavi, the coach?

Speak to those who have studied his teams closer than anyone else and it seems the 41-year-old Catalan has spent his time practising precisely what he has long preached.

Bjarki Mar Olafsson knows Xavi’s methods better than most. He is head of scouting and match analysis for Al Arabi in the Qatar Stars League. In December, Xavi’s side narrowly defeated Al Arabi in the final of the Emir of Qatar Cup. Olafsson did the analysis.

“I have been here analysing and dissecting Al Sadd ever since he took over,” he tells Sky Sports. “I have put a lot of hours into watching his teams and his playing style.

“Just to follow his approach from when he started to where he is now has been really interesting because people do not really realise the work that he has been doing at Al Sadd.

“I think it is a major simplification to just talk about Barcelona and that tiki-taka football because what he is doing is quite innovative and really exciting in terms of his style of play.”

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick on his 100th Champions League appearance as they crushed Benfica 5-2 on Tuesday to cruise into the knockout stages with two Group E matches to spare.

Group E: Bayern and Barcelona win

Barcelona‘s Ansu Fati scored a superb second-half goal to secure a crucial 1-0 win at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday and revive his club’s faltering Champions League campaign.

Barca’s 19-year-old prospect rescued his team in the 70th minute with a fierce volley from inside the area after the home defence failed to clear Oscar Mingueza’s cross from the right.

However, the Ukraine champions gave Barcelona a hard time in a frantic game, with both teams missing several chances.

The victory put Barca into second place in Group E with six points, two ahead of Benfica. It was Barca’s first away win in all competitions this season.

Bayern Munich‘s Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick, set up another goal and missed a penalty on his 100th Champions League appearance as they crushed Benfica 5-2 to cruise into the knockout stages with two Group E matches to spare.

The Pole headed home his first goal in the 26th minute and chipped in another just past the hour after also setting up Serge Gnabry for a sensational backheel flick in the 32nd.

The striker missed a penalty in first-half stoppage time but sealed his treble in the 85th minute. It was his 81st goal in Europe’s elite club competition.

Benfica cut the deficit before the break with Morato’s 38th-minute header, which was the first goal conceded by Bayern in their four Champions League matches, but a superb Leroy Sane shot early in the second half killed off hopes of a comeback. The visitors scored again in the 75th minute through Darwin Nunez.

Group F: Villarreal keep pressure on Man Utd

Villarreal boosted their hopes of reaching the knockout stages after goals from Etienne Capoue and Arnaut Danjuma gave the Spanish side a 2-0 home win over Swiss rivals Young Boys in Group F.

The result left Villarreal second on seven points from four games, behind Manchester United on an inferior head-to-head record and two ahead of third-placed Atalanta. Young Boys have three points and only a slim chance of advancing.

Capoue delighted the home fans in the 36th minute when he knocked in his own rebound from close range after visiting goalkeeper Guillaume Faivre parried the French midfielder’s header straight back into his path.

Young Boys pressed in the closing stages as Meschack Elia came close but they were caught cold in the 89th minute as Danjuma pulled away from his marker and slipped the ball past Faivre to seal Villarreal’s win.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two, including a stoppage-time equaliser, as Manchester United came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw away to Atalanta.

The 36-year-old has now scored five goals in four games for United in this Champions League campaign and has nine in 11 outings for the club this season.

His outstanding finishing secured a vital point for United, who were minutes away from slipping to third in the group but instead find themselves top on seven points.

Group G: Lille win at Sevilla

Jonathan Ikone scored a second-half winner as Lille fought back to claim a 2-1 victory over hosts Sevilla in their Champions League Group G clash at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Lucas Ocampos put Sevilla ahead inside 15 minutes, but Jonathan David equalised from the penalty spot just before half-time and Ikone scored a second to hand the French champions a potentially crucial win, their first in the competition in 13 matches stretching back to 2014.

RB Salzburg lead the group with seven points from their four games, with Lille ahead of Wolfsburg in second place on goal difference. Both teams have five points, while Sevilla are on three.

Lille will host Salzburg in the penultimate round of the group stage on November 23, while Sevilla welcome Wolfsburg with the top two places in the group still wide open.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wolfsburg stunned Salzburg 2-1 to rekindle their hopes of a top-two finish and a spot in the knockout stages.

The Wolves, with new coach Florian Kohfeldt making his debut in the competition after taking over last week, struck once in either half with Ridle Baku and Lukas Nmecha to climb up to five points, two behind the Austrians.

Group H: Chelsea win away in Malmo

Chelsea remain on course to reach the knockout phases after Hakim Ziyech struck in the second half against Malmo to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

The Blues attacker tapped home after a wonderful cross by Callum Hudson-Odoi, who continued his encouraging recent form to help Thomas Tuchel’s side clinch a third win in Group H.

With Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner still sidelined, Ziyech stepped up for the holders in a much tougher game than the first meeting with the Swedish side which ended 4-0.

Juventus booked their spot in the last 16 with two group games to spare after a double from Argentinian striker Paulo Dybala steered them to a 4-2 win over Zenit St Petersburg.

Knowing they only needed a point against Zenit to be assured of a knockout-stage spot in Group H, Juve raced into a deserved early lead through Dybala, who hammered the ball into the roof of the net in the 11th minute.

The hosts had several chances to make it 2-0 before Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci put through his own net in the 26th minute to draw Zenit level.

Dybala benefited from a slice of good fortune to put Juve back in front in the 58th minute, as he converted a penalty at the second attempt, after the referee had ordered his first effort, that he dragged wide, be retaken.

Goals from Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata made sure of the victory late on as Juve made it four wins from four in this season’s competition to top Group H, three points ahead of holders Chelsea in second.

Sardar Azmoun netted a stoppage-time consolation for Zenit, who must win both of their remaining group matches to have any hope of reaching the knockout stages.

Xavi Hernandez wants a return to Barcelona but Al Sadd are not willing to let their manager leave at this stage of the Qatari club’s season.

Barcelona officials Rafa Yuste and Mateu Alemany travelled to Doha on Tuesday to try to negotiate Barca great Xavi’s release from Al Sadd and met with the former midfielder’s agents in Qatar on Wednesday.

The Catalan club are looking to replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last week following a poor start to the campaign.

Speaking after Al Sadd’s 3-3 draw with Al Duhail, which was watched by Barcelona’s delegates, Xavi said a return to his former side was “common sense” as negotiations continue.

“It’s been emotional. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Xavi. “The two clubs are in talks and we don’t know how things will pan out.

“I’m a very positive person and I think it’s common sense: the two clubs have to reach an agreement. The two clubs know my stance and I hope that everything will get sorted out soon.

Barcelona, who are ninth in La Liga, boosted their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockouts with a 1-0 win at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday under the guidance of caretaker coach Sergi Barjuan.

Xavi added: “Whoever takes over as the Barcelona coach mustn’t be seen as a messiah. It’s a matter of building a team and bringing that feel-good factor and positivity back to the club. The Barcelona that we saw yesterday were already a different side.

“There’s a good team there that can achieve things, but we’ll see. We’ve all got to pull in the same direction. It’s an exciting step in my career. We’re all buzzing and it would be fantastic.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Al Sadd CEO Turki Al-Ali acknowledged the arrival of Barcelona’s officials, but insisted the club do not want to let Xavi leave.

“We welcome the visit of the administrative delegation from Barcelona, and we appreciate and respect this,” Al-Ali said in a statement on Al Sadd’s official Twitter account.

“The club’s position is clear from the beginning – we are committed to keeping our coach Xavi with us and we cannot have him leave at this sensitive time of the season.”

Spanish media reported that Xavi, who enjoyed an illustrious career with Barcelona from 1998 to 2015, has a release clause of €10m (£8.5m).

Xavi changes his tune

On Saturday, Xavi had said he was focused on his role as manager of Al Sadd amid speculation he could succeed Koeman.

Barca president Joan Laporta indicated on Friday that talks with the 41-year-old Xavi, who enjoyed a trophy-laden 17-year spell at the club, had advanced but no agreement had yet been reached.

“I’m currently focused on my work with Al Sadd and I cannot talk about anything else,” Xavi told a news conference on Friday.

In May, Xavi signed a contract to extend his stay in charge of Al Sadd for another two years.

He turned down the chance to coach Barcelona in January 2020 after Ernesto Valverde was dismissed, but was linked with the top job at the Camp Nou, even after Koeman succeeded Quique Setien.

Xavi has enjoyed great success since moving to Doha in 2019, winning seven major trophies for the reigning Qatar Stars League champions, who took to Twitter to insist their coach is not eyeing a move away.

“In response to what is circulating recently, the #AlSadd management reaffirms that Xavi has a two-year contract with the club and is fully focused on the team’s upcoming matches, to maintain our lead at the top of the league and to defend the title,” Al Sadd tweeted.

Barcelona are ninth in La Liga with 15 points from 10 games, nine points adrift of leaders Real Sociedad, and trailing second-placed Real Madrid by six points. They host Alaves on Saturday.

Pep: Xavi ready for Barcelona job

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes his former Barcelona team-mate is ready to become head coach at the Nou Camp.

Guardiola expressed his sympathy for Koeman following his sacking but says he has no doubts about Xavi’s ability to manage the Catalan club.

“Ronald and myself know exactly that we depend and live and we are there for the results,” said former Barcelona boss Guardiola.

“Nobody can survive without good results, not Koeman or Pep. All I can say is he’s a friend of mine, I wish him all the best, we can chat soon…

“Xavi – I don’t know what’s going to happen. In case it happens I don’t have any doubts he’s ready to do the job.

“He knows the game, he has passion and I’m pretty sure he has more experience now than I had when I took over.”

Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero will be out for three months after suffering chest pains during Saturday’s match against Alaves.

The 33-year-old striker was withdrawn before half-time after receiving treatment for several minutes during the La Liga game at the Nou Camp, and underwent cardiac tests at hospital as a precautionary measure after leaving the ground in an ambulance.

In a tweet, Barcelona said: “He is unavailable for selection and, during the next three months, the effectiveness of treatment will be evaluated in order to determine his recovery process.”

Barcelona caretaker coach Barjuan said Aguero was “calm” after speaking to the player, who remains in hospital.

“I talked to him and he’s calm. He’s confined to his room but considering the situation he’s calm,” Barjuan said on Monday.

Aguero’s old team Manchester City sent a message of support and wished the Argentine well, likewise former team-mate Raheem Sterling.

Meanwhile, Barjuan will oversee his first Champions League match as interim boss in Tuesday’s Group E clash against Dynamo Kiev and knows his team are under pressure in Europe.

Barca are third in the standings with three points from three games, a point behind Benfica and six adrift of group leaders Bayern Munich after being thrashed 3-0 by both teams.

They got up and running halfway through the group stage with a 1-0 home win over the Ukrainian side last month and must now claim another three points in the return match in Kiev as they bid to finish in the top two and reach the knockout rounds.

“Barcelona have to win always. But we all know the importance of tomorrow’s game,” Barjuan told a pre-match news conference on Monday.

“It’s my obligation to squeeze the best out of my players and they have to believe they can turn things around and I see this game as a great opportunity to do it.

“They need to play with order and intensity but we should not be nervous. We play better when we are calm and composed.”

The former Barca player moved up from the B team to take charge when Ronald Koeman was sacked on Wednesday after a second consecutive LaLiga defeat – 1-0 by Rayo Vallecano.

“It’s an honour to coach Barcelona in a Champions League game. I did it as a player but it’s different. We still depend only on ourselves to go through, so we need to do our best to go back home with the win,” added Barjuan.

Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Frankie de Jong took part in training on Monday after coming back from injuries and will make the trip to Ukraine, though Barjuan did not say if they would start.

“It’s an important game to all of us and the players need to be 100 per cent, physically and mentally. We will see how they look on gameday and adjust,” he added.

Lionel Messi intends to return to Barcelona at the end of his time at Paris Saint-Germain and wants to help the La Liga club in a technical director role.

The 34-year-old concluded his 21-year association with the Catalonia club in the summer with Barca unable to offer him a new contract amid ongoing financial difficulties, and Messi said goodbye in an emotional press conference before joining PSG on a two-year deal.

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barca and won 34 major trophies during his time there. He has stated it remains his plan to come back to the Nou Camp in the future.

When asked whether his next career move will be a return to Barca in the summer of 2023, Messi told Spanish outlet SPORT: “I don’t know if that’ll happen when my PSG contract is up. What’s almost confirmed and certain is that we’ll return to Barcelona to live and our lives will be there.

“That’s what my wife and I want. I don’t know what’ll happen when my PSG contract ends, but we’ll go back to live in Barcelona.

“I’ve always said I’d love to be able to help the club do well in any way that I can be useful. I’d love to be a technical director at some point.

“I don’t know if that’ll be at Barcelona or if it might work out differently.

“If the option is there, I’d love to contribute again in any way that I can because it’s the club that I love and I’d love it to keep doing well, growing and remain one of the best in the world.”

Messi on ‘inappropriate’ Laporta claims

When negotiating terms of a new five-year deal at Barcelona in the summer, Messi offered to reduce his salary by 50 per cent before it came to light that the club could not give him a new contract.

In October, Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he had hoped Messi would agree to play for free right up until the point that it became apparent the club was unable to afford to keep him.

On Laporta’s comments, Messi said: “Never at any moment did they ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50 per cent and I did it without any problem.

“We were willing to help the club more. My desire and that of my family was to stay in Barcelona.

“No one asked me to play for free, but at the same time, the president’s words were inappropriate. It hurt because I don’t think there was any need to say that.

“It’s like taking the ball from you and not accepting the responsibility or taking charge of things. That makes people think and generates doubts that I don’t think I deserve.”

Messi limped off injured in PSG’s 2-1 win over champions Lille on Friday but their head coach Mauricio Pochettino remains hopeful he will be available for Wednesday’s Champions League game at RB Leipzig.

The Argentina international is without a goal in five Ligue 1 games so far this term, although he has scored three times in the Champions League.

Barcelona, who are ninth in La Liga and were held to 1-1 draw against Alaves on Saturday, relieved head coach Ronald Koeman of his duties last week amid the club’s poor start to the season.