Xavi is convinced Barcelona’s season would have been a “disaster” had he not announced his decision to leave at the end of it.
The 44-year-old revealed after a 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal in January that he would walk away from the club after two and a half years in charge following a difficult spell.
He said at the time his decision would free up his players, and they will head into Saturday’s LaLiga clash with lowly Cadiz on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions – the last of them an impressive 3-2 Champions League quarter-final, first-leg victory at Paris St Germain.
Xavi told a press conference: “With the decision made, I was sure we would be like this. If not, it would have been a disaster, and I told the president so.
“I looked and looked around the club. If I hadn’t decided, we wouldn’t be competing by now.”
Asked if he might reconsider his decision in the circumstances, Xavi said: “I’ve told you that at every press conference. Nothing has changed.”
Barca head into the game still revelling in the glow of their midweek fightback in Paris, which saw them recover from a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2 at the Parc des Princes and secure a priceless lead to take back to Catalonia.
They have won their last five in all competitions, although their hopes of closing an eight-point gap to leaders Real Madrid – their opponents at the Bernabeu Stadium next Sunday – appear to be receding by the week.
Xavi said: “Next week there is a Clasico that, if we win tomorrow, could leave us five points behind. If we lose tomorrow, the league is over.”
Indeed, Barca’s focus could lie as much over their shoulder, with third-placed Girona only two points worse off and due to host them in a potentially pivotal clash on May 4.
In the circumstances, they can afford no slip-ups this weekend against a side fighting for their lives inside the relegation zone and three points adrift of safety.
Cadiz have rallied in recent weeks, collecting eight of their 25 points to date from the last five games – including a famous 2-0 home win over top-four side Atletico Madrid on March 9 – and they boast a 2-1 home victory and a 1-0 success at the Nou Camp, as well as two draws, in seven meetings with the Spanish aristocrats since returning to LaLiga in 2020.
Xavi said: “They have only lost one game in the last five, they have beaten Atletico at home… a lot is at stake. Life is going for them football-wise in every way, they are playing for the season.”
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
Slot hopes Jones 'recovers fast' after limping off against Betis
Arne Slot says Liverpool are waiting to discover the extent of Curtis Jones' injury, after the midfielder was forced off during the Reds' 1-0 victory over Real Betis.
The Dutchman oversaw his first win since replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal in Pittsburgh.
It was the first match of the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States, though it remains to be seen how much of a part Jones will play after he limped off on the half-hour mark.
However, Slot said the decision to withdraw the midfielder was precautionary.
"I think it's too early to tell [how bad it is]," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "Maybe he could have played on, but I think maybe you could see he was not at 100%.
"In a friendly game, with so many days coming up in our tour, it was best to take him off. We hope he recovers really fast, so we can see him in the next few games.
"It's always a pity if he has to go off after 25 minutes, half an hour. And before that, you could see that he was not completely free.
"It was unfortunate because he had two really good weeks during the training sessions, so I looked forward to seeing him in the game, but unfortunately he had to go off.
Trey Nyoni replaced Jones for the remainder of the game, and Slot was pleased by the 17-year-old's impact.
"The good thing about that was that we brought someone [on] that impressed me in the 45 minutes to an hour he played afterwards.
"I think [Trey] did really well today, but it was only an hour. He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half.
"We are really careful with him. So he doesn't join every session, and sometimes he goes off a bit earlier. You can see his quality, but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level. But he showed some interesting things today.
I think there were a few positive things and, of course, a few things we have to improve. But the positive thing is that we kept a clean sheet. I think we only conceded one big chance and that was somewhere around the last 10 minutes of the game.
"So, we controlled the game really well and, in between, we had a few good attacks where we created a few good chances and scored a good goal."
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