Liverpool legend and current Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has lavished praise on FC Barcelona management to appoint someone like Xavi Hernandez as their manager when things were not right for the Catalans.
The former England midfield spoke very highly of Xavi after the game between Liverpool legends and Barcelona legends got over. The Liverpool great admitted to being a fan of the Catalan side and praised Xavi for steering the club to recovery. Xavi took over the reins when the club was in tatters but the Spaniard turned it around and now the Catalans are on the road to recovery.
“He obviously knows the style that everyone around Barcelona wants to see. After some challenging times it looks like as if they are getting back to where they need to be. It was obviously a huge result against Real Madrid. As a Barcelona fan from afar, it’s really good to see them back doing well.”
The match between the Liverpool legends and Barcelona legends ended 2-1 in the Barcelona legends’ favour with Giovanni Silva and Rivaldo getting their name on the scoresheet for the Catalans. Meanwhile, Gerrard scored for the Liverpool legends to cut the deficit to half.
Gerrard is doing a great job at Aston Villa as the Villans are currently in 9th position in the Premier League. Villa are ten points behind eight placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. They will recently take on the Wolves and will be eager to cut down the deficit.
Continuing on Xavi Hernandez’s appointment, Gerrard called it a masterstroke for placing trust in someone who can understand what it means to don that Barcelona jersey. “I think the appointment of Xavi was a masterstroke by Barcelona to appoint someone who has Barcelona in his DNA and who was a world-class player for so many years,” Gerrard added.
Xavi ever since taking over at Barcelona has changed the club’s fortunes on its head. He has brought in great players like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Eric Garcia, Adama Traore with more players joining the club, things are looking good again at Camp Nou. The Spaniard has also promoted a lot of young talents from La Masia and have handed them chances to represent the senior team, creating the supply chain ready for the future.