Barcelona president was genuinely angry over the squad list for Royal Antwerp clash | OneFootball

There seems to be some tension between Barcelona president Joan Laporta and manager Xavi, with a report from SPORT claiming that the former has had discontent with the manager’s squad selection several times in the past.

Days before the Barcelona team departed for Belgium to play their final UEFA Champions League group stage match, Xavi decided to leave out four first team players considering the magnitude of the match.

A day before the match, however, three of those players were reinstated to the travelling team after the intervention of Laporta.

There’s a lot going on within the management

Everyone’s aware of the passion that Laporta carries for Barcelona. Sometimes he says things that might cause a stir if taken out of context.

Regarding Xavi’s decision for the Antwerp match, there are different stories, but Laporta didn’t personally demand anything like Deco did.

Joan Laporta has expressed his discontent with Xavi’s selection several times in the past. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Laporta got upset not because he didn’t understand why Xavi wanted to rest certain players, but because it seemed like the 2-4 loss to Girona had no consequences for the team’s image.

After such a defeat, especially when risking millions in Belgium, Laporta felt the key players needed to step up, but the team ended up losing.

There has been disagreement before

Nevertheless, the aforementioned source claims that it is not the first time that Laporta has found himself at odds with Xavi’s decisions.

For instance, he expressed discontent when the coach granted the squad two days off to celebrate after a 1-2 loss against Real Madrid in Montjuïc.

In both instances, Laporta underscores the importance of acknowledging the consequences of defeats, emphasizing that the manner of the loss carries weight and requires a corresponding response.

Furthermore, it was only yesterday that we laid down how a go-karting incident involving several Barcelona players caused troubles within the management.

While this field trip was arranged only after the 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, the team went on to lose to Girona, prompting Laporta to question Xavi’s approach.