Xavi's job is safe! Barca have no plans to sack under-fire boss despite disastrous season

Xavi's job has been repeatedly called into question in recent weeks after his Barca side have steadily fallen out of contention in La Liga, as the club sit eight points behind shock leaders Girona. But according to Sport, the Blaugrana have no plans to part with the under-fire boss any time soon, and will stick with him until at least the end of the season.

In a post-match press conference, Xavi backed Barca to improve, despite the poor campaign: "We play with boys, we are in construction, we have a very short squad. It is the beginning of something important, whether I am coaching or not. There is a future."

The Blaugrana sit in third in the Spanish top flight, eight points behind league leaders Girona — albeit with a game in hand. Their most obvious next chance at silverware is in the Champions League, where they will face Napoli in the knockout stage, but they are out of the Copa del Rey after being beaten by Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final.

Xavi will be at the helm as Barca take on Villarreal in La Liga this weekend. After that, they will face mid-table Osasuna as they look to hold onto their slim hopes to defend their league title.