Xavi has unabashedly criticised the Barcelona management
Being a graduate from La Masia, Xavi knows about the value of football academies and their role in shaping a footballing era. For example, La Masia produced players who perfected tiki-taka and made it the dominant style of the 21st century.
The 38-year old saw many juniors like Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Pedro graduate from La Masia and succeed at Barcelona. Even previously, he has criticised the Barcelona board for its refusal to promote players from Barcelona B.
But now, Xavi has expressed his anger without holding back due to respect for the club. He is a true legend, and his opinion is always taken seriously.
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"He said, “Madrid have a winning gene and Barcelona have fallen asleep. They’ve been asleep for years when it comes to signings, and those who are signing players don’t know what to do.”"
This is open criticism of both the management and the new signings that have been made by the club. In recent seasons, Barça have splashed the cash on flops like André Gomes, Paco Alcácer, Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan.
Most of the good signings, like Jasper Cillessen, Lucas Digne and Samuel Umtiti were economical, while Sergi Roberto is the only player in the squad to have been promoted from the B team in the last 5 years.
Xavi has also criticised the Barça board through his comment, taking a dig at Robert Fernandez and his team of negotiators. While Paulinho was a good signing, the club considerably overpaid for him.
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The fee for Ousmane Dembélé, too, was excessive. It could have reduced further, and the case for Philippe Coutinho is the same. But Xavi may be placated this season, when players like Carles Aleñá and Sergi Palencia are expected to be promoted to the first-team squad.