The manager of Barcelona, Xavi, believes that current stars Gavi and Pedri are better compared to both him and fellow club legend Andres Iniesta when they were their age.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Xavi noted that Barcelona’s new crop of young talent all exhibit great promise for the future. He even admitted that, at the age of 20, he and Iniesta thought current midfield prodigies Gavi and Pedri were already performing at a higher level than they did.
Xavi’s statement
According to Xavi, Barca’s current crop of young players is among the best the team has ever seen: “Me at 20 years old and Andres at 20 years old, we were not at the level that Pedri or Gavi are. Eric Garcia, at twenty; Ansu… How Gavi competes, the passion he puts in… We were not at his level.”
However, the coach also emphasized the significance of protecting young players: “Gavi has played practically everything. Ansu is a talent… Perhaps we are asking them too much…”
Xavi’s first year at Camp Nou hasn’t been the easiest. The manager acknowledged that despite Barca’s current La Liga leadership, he has yet to win any awards: “I always say that coaching Barca is a roller coaster of emotions. You have to be emotionally very balanced, believe in our essence, our personality. We have an identity and people see it.”
Xavi will be hoping that the team’s midfield pairing can lead them to their first league championship since 2019. At the top of the standings, Barca is currently two points ahead of Real Madrid.
