Deco was not convinced about Xavi’s continuity at Barcelona, had prepared Plan B

Last night was a frantic one for everyone involved at FC Barcelona as the future of manager Xavi Hernandez was finally definitively decided.

Months after he announced his decision to leave, Xavi has now made a U-turn and will continue as the manager at Barcelona for one more season.

The change came after a series of meetings on Wednesday, with the Barcelona hierarchy, led by president Joan Laporta himself, agreeing that it is the best option for the team.

Deco was not totally convinced

However, not everyone appeared on board with the decision at one point, with SPORT reporting that Barcelona sporting director Deco was among those who was not totally convinced about Xavi staying.

As per the report, when Deco, and the coach met to analyse the season and plan for the next season, there were some important divergences.

Deco understands that the current squad could give much more than what has ended up happening in the end.

Deco had doubts about Xavi’s continuity. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)

The sporting director was concerned about the ostracism of some players, about injuries and, above all, about the team’s defensive management in the decisive games of the season.

There was also no consensus on the profile of some possible signings, despite the fact that Deco and Xavi have a good relationship, not without sporting disagreements, as happens in many clubs.

There was a Plan B in place

Given the situation, Deco was not at all clear about whether the best decision was the continuity of the coach.

So much so that, the sporting director had already prepared a plan B for the coach’s departure, which ultimately was not executed because Laporta reached a consensus among everyone to continue trusting in Xavi.

The report states that the Plan B that Deco was working on was not Rafa Marquez but a different manager. However, everything changed following the meeting between Xavi and Laporta.