"Give him a little time" - Javier Mascherano says Xavi is 'more than capable' of lifting Barcelona 

Former Barcelona player Javier Mascherano has stated that Xavi Hernandez can improve the club and lift them back up to the top. He believes that the Spaniard "needs time" but has no doubt that Xavi is the right man for the Catalan club.

Barcelona currently sit in eighth position in the La Liga table, 16 points off Real Madrid at the top. They have also crashed out of the Champions League this season and will now have to compete in the Europa League.

When Xavi was announced as Barcelona's manager last month, hopes were extremely high among the supporters of the club. However, as the results above state, there hasn't been much improvement yet.

Argentina U-20 manager Javier Mascherano discussed Xavi's appointment at Barcelona with AS. He said:

"He is more than capable of resuscitating Barça and taking him back to the top. They are not at their best, but I don't have There is no doubt that he will improve with it. You also have to give him a little time."

He further added:

"He knows the club like few others. Barcelona is such a special club that it is key to know and understand its philosophy to train . It's not just any club. Xavi is also more than enough to do great things."

He ended by talking about Xavi's time at the Qatar club Al-Sadd. Xavi spent four years at the club as a player.

In 2019, he retired from football and became manager of Al-Sadd before joining Barcelona last month. On this, Mascherano said:

"Qatar opened the doors for him to give him his first opportunity as a coach and he showed a lot. They were very happy with him because of the way he played. that the team played. He has done many things and very good things with Al Sadd."

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Xavi and Barcelona eyeing a strategic January transfer window

With Barcelona's current struggles, it is clear they need big changes in their squad. However, their financial struggles do not allow them to spend as lavishly as some other clubs can. Hence, Xavi will have to be very strategic in revamping his squad.

Barcelona have been strongly linked with the likes of Ferran Torres and Edinson Cavani as forwards.

They are also looking to offload players like Frenkie de Jong and Philippe Coutinho to gather some funds to make more signings. This includes the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Raheem Sterling and more.

Needless to say, it will be a crucial transfer window if they are to get their season back on track.