Barcelona legend Xavi has insisted that he would have have no problem managing his former teammates at Camp Nou, potentially hinting at a return to the Catalan giants as head coach.
The Spanish champions have made their worst start to a La Liga campaign since 1994-95, with Saturday's 2-0 loss at Granada leaving them in eighth position in the table.
Ernesto Valverde's future as head coach is believed to be far from secure, and Xavi has seemingly opened the door on a return to the club as a staff member.
"I don't know if it will be a bridge to Barca," Xavi told Ara. "The only thing that worries me now is doing well here, winning titles and making mistakes in some aspects to learn for the future.
"It wouldn't be a problem [to manage former teammates]. I know what Leo [Lionel Messi] is like, and Luis [Suarez], Sergio Busquets, Jordi [Alba], [Gerard] Pique or Sergi [Roberto].
"I know how they train, their capacity for leadership, I can tell if they are sad or angry. I hope as a coach I could have three, five, eight or 10 players that I already knew and that I already had a good relationship with.
"[Messi] is a player who, if you convince him, he can even be a brilliant defender. He has physical and mental speed. He has everything. If you convince him to run, what will the others do? They will run twice as much. The problem in the midfield is that nobody is doing any defensive work, so they suffer when they have to retreat."
Xavi, who is currently in charge of Al-Sadd in Qatar, won eight La Liga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Champions League crowns during his time with Barca.
Matt Law
