DOHA (Qatar): Former Barcelona legend and current coach of Al Sadd, Xavi Hernandez said he loved being on the ball as the Spaniard gets ready to guide the Qatari club on Wednesday evening at the FIFA Club World Cup.
In an exclusive with FIFA.com, the former Barcelona and Al Sadd captain talked about past glories, his present switch to the dugout and the future Qatar has in store.
FIFA.com: You hung up your boots in May and within a few months you were on the touchline. Have you enjoyed the transition?
Xavi: I’ve had a very fast transition from player to coach. I’ve hardly had any time to think about it. Obviously I had a footballing vision in mind, because as pretty much everyone knows, I grew up at Barça and in the national team. It’s still football but the fact is you have a lot more responsibility. I’m always asking myself if I miss playing. Well, the fact is that I don’t because I’m involved in the whole competitive thing in a different way and I feel even more responsible as a coach. So, yes, I’m enjoying it.
How would you describe yourself as a coach?
Xavi: I’d describe myself as someone who likes to have the ball. I’m there in the dugout suffering if my team doesn’t have the ball. It was the same when I played: I loved being on the ball. What I want is for my team to have control and I think you have that when you have the ball. That’s the way I was brought up at Barça and in the national team. I make sure we work on possession in every training session and I have the players trying to win the ball back as soon as they can.
That’s my philosophy: to have possession high up the pitch – not just sitting and waiting – and to go on the attack. But now you suffer. You suffer when you don’t have the ball. That 30-40 per cent of possession that you don’t have is when you have to work hardest.
Is there any coach whose method and tactics greatly differ to yours, but you particularly admire all the same?
Xavi: Now that I’ve seen how difficult this job is, I’ve obviously got admiration for every coach that’s gone in and changed a club. It’s pretty clear that [Diego] Simeone’s coaching style is not the same as mine, but I’ve got nothing but admiration for him for everything he’s achieved at Atletico Madrid and what he’s done at that club. The likes of [Pep] Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have made their mark as coaches too, and Luis Aragones, Vicente del Bosque and Luis Enrique are also great coaches. In some ways, a team is a reflection of its coach. And the hallmark of coaches like Klopp, Simeone and Guardiola, each of whom have their own style and way of playing, is really important.
How do you aim to tackle the challenge of being the host side here at the Club World Cup?
Xavi: What we’ll try to do is make sure the players don’t feel the extra pressure that comes with playing at home, which happens a lot – that pressure of having to prove yourself. This is a special prize for us. What I’ll try to say to the team is that they forget about the pressure and show what they can do. Pressure is something for me to deal with as the coach. We’ve looked at Hienghene and we understand that we’re the favourites. In football, though, you have to go out and do it on the pitch. What I won’t take from my teams is a lack of effort. I want them to try. They might fail 200 times, but I want them to try.
