“He must wait for the moment”
Luis Suarez has warned former teammate Xavi against taking the Barcelona managerial job if he is offered it.
Speculation around potential candidates to replace current boss Ronald Koeman has increased in recent days, with it looking more and more likely that the Dutchman will be sacked after Barcelona’s poor start to the season.
The Catalan giants currently sit 6th in La Liga, having won just three of their opening six fixtures – meaning that they are five points behind league leaders Real Madrid already.
However, it is in the Champions League that their most underwhelming performances have come.
They lost their opening Group E encounter 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich, before losing by the same scoreline away at Benfica on Wednesday (29 September).
With their Champions League hopes in a dangerous position, reports are suggesting that Koeman could be sacked imminently.
Considering this, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is reportedly eyeing-up potential replacements already.
One name that is being heavily mentioned is former midfielder Xavi, who is currently in charge of Al-Sadd in Qatar.
The legendary Spaniard is undeniably one of Barca’s greatest ever players, having won eight LaLiga titles and four Champions League cups.
This, therefore, is one of the main reasons that many people believe the 41-year-old will be offered the job should Koeman get the axe.
Despite this, Suarez has urged his former teammate to wait for the right time to take the role, suggesting that now is not the best time to do so.
Luis Suarez to Sport: “At Barça there is a war that hurts the players. I personally recommend Xavi to wait. This is not the ideal time to get to the club. He’s smart he has to wait a moment”. 🔴🇺🇾 #FCB #Koeman
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 30, 2021
“As a soccer fan and what he has done as a player, I don’t think that today, tomorrow or the day after is the time to catch the team,” Suarez told SPORT.
“He is intelligent and knows the difficulty of the club. He must wait for the moment. He has colleagues inside with whom he will have to make decisions and it will be difficult.”
Although Suarez – who left the Camp Nou last year in seemingly bitter circumstances – has told Xavi not to take the job, he was quick to insist that the Spaniard has all of the qualities to be a ‘great’ manager.
He added: “I see him as a very qualified coach.
“[I back him] to be as great as a coach as he was as a player.”
Suarez will face-off against his former side on October 2 when Atletico Madrid host Barcelona at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Related links:
- The huge severance package Ronald Koeman could get if sacked by Barcelona
- Miralem Pjanić claims he was disrespected by Ronald Koeman in brutal interview
- Barcelona board held midnight meeting with Ronald Koeman after Bayern defeat
