Joan Gaspart is convinced that Barcelona can still play a serious role in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey this season. The former president of Barcelona – who led the club between 2000 and 2003 – regrets that Ronald Koeman has had to leave. At the same time, Gaspart is optimistic about his likely successor Xavi Hernández.
“You can like it or not, but that’s just how it works in football. It is easier to fire a coach than all players. Koeman has been a great player for Barcelona and I think it’s a shame as he is a friend and I appreciate him a lot. If he had been given a little more time, he could have done a good job,” Gaspart said in an interview with El Confidencial. The former president of Barcelona understands that Koeman could not let his team play in ‘the usual style’.
“You have to have the players to play that game. Let’s not forget that this team does not have Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi. With those players, Barcelona was able to play different football in the past than now,” says Gaspart. He is excited about Xavi’s imminent arrival and does not think it is too early for him to become a Barcelona manager. Was it too early for Pep Guardiola? Or for Luis Enrique? Why wouldn’t it work? Everyone thought that Guardiola or Luis Enrique had no experience, but they had good results.”
“I wish him all the luck in the world. Xavi has shown for years that it was his ambition to become a coach of Barcelona,” continues Gaspart. He is convinced that Barcelona can still compete for the trophies this season. “Barcelona will win the Champions League, LaLiga and the Copa del Rey this season. Of course I could be wrong, but without optimism you won’t get very far. I’ve seen more difficult things happen in football. I hope that in the future we will strive to the maximum, but I have said before that it is not easy to win big trophies. If that doesn’t work, you have to qualify again and try again a year later.”
Barcelona is currently nine points behind leaders Real Sociedad, although the Basques played one game less. The Copa del Rey tournament has yet to start for title holder Barcelona, while the Catalans have collected three points after three Champions League matches. Bayern Munich (nine points) and Benfica (four points) are still doing better in Group E of the billion-dollar ball.