Barcelona star midfielder backs Xavi amid troubled team form: “We are with him” | OneFootball

Barcelona struggled to get back into winning ways last night, slumping to a 1-1 draw with Valencia.

The result will undoubtedly put more pressure on coach Xavi Hernandez, whose position as the head coach has been highly scrutinized in recent weeks.

The Barcelona coach, though, has received a lot of support lately. Starting out with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

But even his own players have started backing the Spaniard, with Joao Cancelo notably defending him on behalf of the whole team, after the draw with Valencia.

Pedri backs Xavi amid poor form

Cancelo wasn’t the only one to back Xavi after the poor result. Even Pedri defended the Barcelona head coach and urged the team to bundle together.

Xavi has received backing from teammates (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

“We are with the coach, we are with Xavi,” Pedri said (h/t Fabrizio Romano). “We all have to be together to turn it around — that’s the only way. We are together.”

It is no secret that Barcelona’s lumpy form has turned into a sporting crisis of sorts. The club are falling behind in the race for the league title, despite having significant firepower.

Although Barcelona have secured qualification to the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in two seasons, the club need to improve on the domestic front.

Pedri, though, believes that Xavi has what it takes to guide the team back to winning ways. The upcoming game against Almeria, in particular, could be a vital one for the Blaugrana.

That is because it will be the last game of the year, allowing Barça the end 2023 on a positive note. Almeria have also emerged as one of the worst-performing team in La Liga this season, thus making the task a little easier for Xavi’s men.