As more information comes out about why Barcelona president Joan Laporta fired Xavi, it’s becoming clear that the main reason was that the management and the board did not share the same values.
On June 1, Xavi wanted to phase out a number of players from the present team. Robert Lewandowski was one of these players.
A new report from SPORT says that one of the main reasons the manager was fired was because he didn’t like the Polish striker.
For Xavi, a new face was important.
According to SPORT, Xavi’s team thought that Lewandowski’s time at Barcelona was up. They thought that after two successful seasons, he was no longer a good fit for the project.
They wanted to bring in a striker with more energy, stamina, and intensity in the closing third. At 36 years old, Lewy was no longer able to do that.
Also, they wanted a player who could help not only when there was a goal, but also when they didn’t have the ball and during the buildup.
So, the manager’s stance on Vitor Roque seems strange, since Xavi flatly turned down the board’s young No. 9 player with few to no chances.
Lewandowski’s attitude toward young players was another big reason why Xavi didn’t want him to stay with the team, as reported by SPORT.
The management thought that the experienced striker didn’t have the empathy to help and teach players who were just starting out and had a long way to go.
Of course, this has been seen many times during games when the Poland captain disagreed with young stars about certain choices made during the game.
But now that Hansi Flick is on the way, Lewandowski stands to gain the most. Since the Pole worked with the boss at Bayern Munich, he will likely be the captain of Barcelona’s attack next year.
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