Pep Guardiola has leapt to the defence of Xavi and said Barcelona’s players need to step up after Sunday’s embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
Xavi is feeling the heat after a humiliating loss, although Barcelona are backing the manager for now.
Guardiola was asked about his former club at FIFA’s the Best awards and had the following to say:
“I want to give Xavi my support. It is easy to blame the coach, but the players have to step up. There is no secret, they are the ones who play. Not everything is the coach’s fault,” he said.