Joan Laporta urges Barcelona fans to continue to ‘believe and support’ boss Xavi

Barcelona club president Joan Laporta has offered his full support to head coach Xavi for the El Clásico.

The Catalan giants face the prospect of being eliminated from the Champions League group stage for a second consecutive campaign after Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Inter Milan at the Camp Nou.

However, Barcelona currently top the LaLiga and will face a crucial clash with main title rivals Real Madrid on Sunday night.

They remain undefeated in domestic action, which is why Laporta has called for solidarity and a reminder of Xavi’s positive impact on the club over the past 12 months.

“I would tell the fans to keep believing in it. We have a very good team that should give us joy. She [the fans] must support Xavi, and we will give him that support,” Laporta told the Spanish newspaper marca.

“Xavi has shown that he is a man who knows the club and the system perfectly, except that he is an excellent person. Things will get better, and he will give us many successes.

‘We always talk. After the game I have a habit of talking to him. [After Wednesday’s game] I saw him sad and hurt.

“Xavi has a virtue that no one I’ve met has – he always sees the bright side. It’s something I’ve always liked.

“I told him to move forward, not think about the Champions League and focus on LaLiga.”

Laporta admitted he had high hopes for Barca’s Champions League campaign after the club’s significant investment in the summer transfer window.

“I didn’t expect to be like this at this point,” Laporta said. “The coaching staff and the coach have done everything they can to be competitive.

“The main target is LaLiga as the group stage has become very complicated, but I prefer to speak when it is over.”

Laporta is also adamant that the club will continue to spend money in the upcoming winter transfer market, despite having to sell some of their assets to fund their most recent wave of spending.

Laporta, who is currently serving his second term at the club, is adamant his side can work to further strengthen the team, adding to recent signings Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde.

“We are working on the market,” said Laporta Barcelona TV. “We have had discussions with the coaching staff and we plan to improve the team, which is already very strong but can get even better.

‘For this winter market we work together with the coach, the technical secretariat and the football director.

“We’ve been analyzing for a while and the team will get better if we get the chance.”

The club’s recent signings have had an impact on a squad that was filled with old stars who were far above their best, and many who were not good enough to justify the exorbitant financial burden they placed on the club.

Much of the initial work over the summer focused on pushing aside this deadwood, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Miralem Pjanic, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho.

But while the work to straighten out has brought clear benefits in the competition, Barca are now on the brink of an early exit from the Champions League, with just one win from four games.