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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>Xavi to leave Barca in the summer</li><li>Backs Rafa Marquez to replace him</li><li>Also issues warning to reserve team manager</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

Xavi picks out potential Barcelona successor - but warns 'the same thing will happen to him as to Pep Guardiola and me'

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Xavi has announced that he will quit the Catalan club due to the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/how-barcelona-toxicity-influenced-xavi-decision-depart-end-of-the-season/blt4fe967dfd54d66dd#cs30eb6b2ca14143c2">mental and sporting struggles</a> that he has had to face since he took charge in November 2021. A 4-1 drubbing in the Super Cup final against Real Madrid, an unceremonious exit from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Athletic Club, and the 5-3 loss at home to Villarreal at the weekend tipped Xavi over the edge, and he will step down at the end of the season.

WHAT HAPPENED?

When Xavi was asked by reporters about his possible replacement, he said: "Rafa (Marquez) is my friend, he is preparing to coach the Barça first team one day and it is legal. The rest is the job of [sporting director] Deco and the president."Marquez is a former Barca player who plied his trade at Camp Nou between 2003 and 2010, and he is the current coach of the club's B team - which plays in the third tier of the Spanish league system.However, Xavi was also quick to fire a warning to Marquez when asked if he has any advice to the next first-team coach: "The same thing will happen to him as to Guardiola or me. This is the problem: it will happen to him. My advice is to be natural, to do what you feel and not to let yourself be influenced. That's what I've done and I'm proud. My dream was to coach Barcelona, play good football and win. And it has been achieved. Not this season, but I leave with a very clear conscience."

WHAT XAVI SAID

Xavi has admitted that he has been made to <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/xavi-claims-he-decided-to-leave-barcelona-start-of-season-made-to-feel-worthless-every-day/blte084abee1724e683#csb373507532a28218" target="_blank">feel worthless every day at the club</a> and even pondered on submitting his resignation at the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/xavi-quit-barcelona-manager-confirms-leaving-end-of-season-in-shock-announcement-after-catalans-ship-five-villarreal/blt5e11dda249a33995" target="_blank">beginning of the season.</a> Barca are still fighting for La Liga and are alive in the Champions League. However, Xavi believes that even if they win the two titles it will not be enough to silence detractors."This season, what has failed us are the results, although we can still make it good. It's difficult but we still have two titles at stake," he said. "We are very excited about the Champions League, but my feeling is that, whatever you do, it will not be valued and that wear and tear is not worth it. That's why I made the decision."When I say that we are under construction, you kill me. I also tell a story. When I say that we do not have the Barça of 2010, there is also criticism. I have the feeling that, whatever I say and whatever I do, it's not enough. I have the feeling that they're not going to buy anything from me. Not even winning the League 14 points behind Madrid, not the Super Cup, not the young people, not being a club man... Therefore, my decision. It is a matter of the environment, of the club, of demands and myself. I have the feeling that I must leave."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Guardiola enjoyed great success in the Camp Nou dugout between 2008 and 2013, but ended up leaving for similar reasons to Xavi. The current Manchester City boss has insisted that the pressure in Spain is multiple times worse than what he faces in England."We cannot compare the pressure we have in England to Spain, in my experience," he told his latest press conference. "It's a thousand times tougher there. Six press conferences a week, a lot of games. The pressure you feel in Barcelona is not comparable anywhere else."

DID YOU KNOW?

Xavi will lead his troops out against Osasuna on Wednesday in a La Liga fixture. This is the first time that he will be in the Barcelona dugout since announcing his departure. He will be geared up to make a statement with a win after being exposed to harsh criticism from various sections of the media following the 5-3 defeat to Villarreal.

WHAT NEXT?

Xavi picks out potential Barcelona successor - but warns 'the same thing will happen to him as to Pep Guardiola and me' | Goal.com

Xavi has picked his potential Barcelona successor, but warned that &apos;the same thing will happen to him as to Pep Guardiola and me&apos;.