Barcelona President Joan Laporta Confirms Catalan Club Has No Plans to Sack Xavi This Season

• Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has confirmed Xavi will not be sacked this season despite the club’s early struggles under the Spaniard
• Barcelona has failed to progress to the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League for two consecutive seasons under Xavi
• Barcelona are currently leading the way at the top of the La Liga table, with a two point lead over defending champions Real Madrid

Xavi’s position as Barcelona manager is not under threat after club president, Joan Laporta revealed the 42-year-old’s reign is set to continue for another season.

Speculations had suggested Xavi could be sacked by the Catalans after failing to guide Barcelona to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the second consecutive season.

According to Football Espana, Laporta has now dispelled such rumours as he once again affirmed his confidence in Xavi, whom he says has turned the club’s fortunes around domestically.

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“Not at any point in time have I questioned Xavi’s role. I have complete confidence in him. I can assure you we are very proud of the coach we have.”

Prior to the World Cup break, Barcelona is in first place in the La Liga standings, two points ahead of the defending champion Real Madrid after 14 games.

Xavi delighted with Frenkie de Jong

Meanwhile, Dutch midfielder, Frenkie de Jong has earned the respect of Barcelona manager, Xavi who now sees him as a key part of his team, SPORT reports.

De Jong has blossomed recently under Xavi this campaign as the 25-year-old midfielder fully understands what the manager expects of him at the Catalan club.

Xavi is now reaping the benefits of fighting to keep Frenkie de Jong when the Catalan club were adamant on selling the Dutch midfielder during the summer transfer window to raise funds.

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Xavi told to change his coaching staff

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has been told to change his technical staff after their humiliating exit from the UEFA Champions League.

The Catalan giants suffered back-to-back elimination from Europe's top-tier club competition on the back of Inter Milan's 4-0 triumph against Viktoria Plzen.

The Blaugrana knew of their status before playing their penultimate group game against Bayern Munich, which ended in a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou.