Ludovic Giuli believes Barcelona’s previous problems may have stemmed from a disagreement between former team-mates Xavi Hernandez and Anderson Deco.
Former Barcelona midfielder Ludovic Giuli, 48, believes the problems at the Blaugrana may have stemmed from disagreements between former team-mates Xavi Hernandez, who was the manager, and Anderson Deco, who was the club’s sporting director, according to Ufabet Sport on Monday.
Giuli played for Barcelona from 2004 to 2007, alongside Xavi and Deco, winning two La Liga titles and one Champions League under Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard.
Before Xavi and Deco came together as coach and sporting director, it didn’t quite work out for Giuli, who was forced to step down at the end of last season before the club brought in Hansi Flick as their new manager.
‘Yes, everyone is like that, not just Xavi,’ Giuli said of the Barcelona manager’s quest to push the club to new heights. ‘But Xavi had an incredible year at Barca. The following year there were a lot of financial problems. I don’t know if he had a good relationship with the staff. With Deco, I wasn’t there, but Barca wanted to win things. ‘
‘And if you don’t have players, you have to sell to have a good team. And there’s always La Masia. Four or five players come through every year, but there’s no time for these players to grow in football and in their minds. And if things don’t go well, you have to sack the first trainer.’
It has been previously claimed that Xavi had a falling out with Deco towards the end of their time together at Barcelona, with the former urging สมัคร ufabet then-Barca manager Pep Guardiola to let the Portuguese midfielder leave the club, with the latter eventually leaving to join Chelsea in the summer of 2008.
Asked if he would ever return to watch his old team, Giuli replied: ‘I don’t go to Montjuic. It doesn’t feel like home to me. It’s not my home. I don’t feel like that. Espanyol played there when I was at Barcelona. I would rather go to the Camp Nou. Every time I play there I get goosebumps. ‘