Xavi has the full backing of Barcelona president Joan Laporta, with the Blaugrana comfortably sitting on La Liga’s summit under his management.
However, the young tactician’s next task is to make his team more resilient in cup competitions. The hammering against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on the back of a disastrous campaign in Europe underlined there’s still a lot of work to do, and if Xavi’s Barca underwhelms for the third straight season in the Champions League, there’s no guarantee he will remain at the helm for long.
At a club of this stature, domestic success isn’t enough. Ernesto Valverde got the sack despite sitting on top of the table in January 2020.
In fact, very few elite managers have avoided the big call during their managerial career, and Pep Guardiola is one of them.
Former Barcelona manager Guardiola reveals why he has never been sacked
The Spaniard left Barcelona on his terms. Moved to Bayern Munich and then decided to join Manchester City for another challenge. Since 2016, he’s been in charge of the Premier League side, and there are no signs of him losing the job anytime soon.
Ahead of his side’s clash against Southampton, Guardiola was asked to reveal the ‘secret’ behind this feat. He said:
"I will tell you a secret, we win games. If we don’t win games, I would be sacked. It’s not because my hair is better than the other ones. I’m not sacked because we win a lot of games."
With Arsenal not showing any signs of slowing down in the league, and Bayern Munich waiting in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, City may finish the season without a major trophy. This will naturally invite a lot of criticism, especially after the signing of Erling Haaland.
Nevertheless, the Barcelona legend has got City playing their best football at the right moment once again. The Sky Blues smashed Southampton 4-1 on Sunday to pile more pressure on Arsenal ahead of their Liverpool trip.