Xavi Gets Vote of Confidence From Barcelona Board After UCL Qualification

• Joan Laporta has publicly praised Xavi for securing Champions League qualification
• Barcelona defeated Porto 2-1 to secure their spot in the UCL Last 16
• Barca have qualified for the UCL knockout stage for the first time in two years

Barcelona’s qualification to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages has eased the pressure off manager Xavi Hernandez following the comments of club president Joan Laporta.

The Barcelona president is delighted to see his team qualify for the Last-16 again after they had failed to progress beyond the group phase in the last two seasons since the club’s former midfielder was appointed as manager.

According to Sportskeeda, Laporta has expressed his support for Xavi, saying the manager overcame the injury crisis rocking the squad to pull off Champions League qualification.

"I’m so happy for Xavi; he deserves it. He really has had to overcome difficult situations with injured players."

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With Barcelona sitting fourth in La Liga, Xavi had come under immense pressure after he faced criticism from fans following the Catalans 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, November 25.

Deco sympathises with Xavi Hernandez

Meanwhile, Barcelona sporting director Deco said that the Catalan club has been struggling recently and understands the criticism levelled at head coach Xavi, GOAL reports.

The Barcelona manager has faced lots of criticisms lately owing to the struggles of the reigning La Liga champions on the pitch, with Rafael Marquez tipped to replace him at the helm if results fail to improve.

However, Deco has refuted such reports and has backed Xavi to continue as Barcelona manager after he secured qualification to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time since taking charge at the Catalan club.

Xavi hails defender after victory

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Xavi has hailed defender Joao Cancelo is an amazing and versatile player after he helped Barcelona secure an important 2-1 victory against Porto on Tuesday night.

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While the clouds of doubts appeared to be gathering over Xavi and his coaching techniques, defender Cancelo found an equaliser for La Blaugrana off a beautiful pass from midfielder Pedri Gonzalez.

Cancelo would become provider as he teed up fellow Portuguese star, Joao Felix, whose finish from close range was enough for the Catalan club to seal the victory on the night.