"Xavi never raised his voice as a player and now…"

Real Oviedo player Santi Cazorla can boast of being one of the people who has known both of Xavi's professional facets, as a footballer and as a coach. The Asturian spoke to the British newspaper 'The Guardian' and spoke about the Catalan during his time as a coach.

Cazorla said he had noticed differences between Xavi the player and the man who was his coach: "Xavi surprised me. As a player he never raised his voice and now... The first day we were losing. I watched him throw boots about, swearing, shouting. I’m thinking: ‘Someone’s swapped the guy I knew for someone else."

"I asked later: ‘Xavi, what happened to you today?!’ He says: ‘I’ve changed completely. If you don’t, the dressing room doesn’t respect you.’ I thought: ‘You really have to?’ I don’t see that in me, but then I didn’t see it in him, either," he explained.

On the other hand, the Asturian added that he doesn't understand why the Barcelona boss is so criticised: "It’s sad he’s suffering in his own home, undervalued. He arrived at one of the hardest moments in their history, won the league and Super Cup, but it’s never enough".

 

April 20, 2024