"I don’t think there’s anyone better" - Barcelona legend says Xavi is the 'right choice' for the club and calls for patience amid recent struggles

Barcelona icon Gerard Pique has thrown his support behind under-fire manager Xavier Hernandez. The former centre-back insists the tactician remains the right option for the Catalan giants despite his team's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League yesterday (November 7).

Xavi has come under scrutiny following his team's underwhelming performances in recent games. The Catalan giants recently lost to their arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in El Clasico on October 28.

Although they managed to steal a late 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga last weekend, their performance was far from convincing and the tactician has been heavily scrutinized for the same.

Barcelona suffered another setback yesterday as they blew the chance to secure an early spot in the Champions League knockout phase after losing 1-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Commenting on the development, Gerard Pique has called on the club to have patience with Xavi. The former centre-back insists his former colleague remains the right man for the job and has backed him to turn the situation around.

“Patience with Xavi? You always need to have it," Pique said during an interview with SPORT. "You have to try to read what’s happening. Only when you don’t see solutions, you have to give up on the coach. Xavi knows the club; he’s been here for many years, and he has imbibed the way of playing.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone better than him to handle the situation. I believe he’s the right choice. I haven’t talked to him since I retired. Well, I did talk to him on the day of the league celebration; he mentioned that I could come to the celebration. But it hasn’t happened. I’ve spoken with Laporta, and it’s been very good,” he added.

What's next for Xavi and Barcelona?

Following their Champions League setback, Barcelona will now switch their focus to La Liga where they will go head-to-head with Alaves at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys this Sunday (November 12).

The Blaugrana will then disperse for the international break before returning to action against Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish top flight on November 25. That will be followed by a Champions League game versus Porto three days later.

As it stands, the Catalan giants are still on track to progress into the next round of the UCL as they sit atop Group H with nine points from four games. They are also third in the Liga table with 27 points after 12 games.