At the center of criticism following Sunday’s crushing 1-4 Spanish Super Cup final defeat by FC Barcelona to rivals Real, Xavi has lost the trust of a section of the dressing room that does not understand his approach, ESPN claims.

Javi HernandezPhoto: Michael Taeger / imago sportfotodienst / Profimedia

Xavi has reportedly lost the trust of some of his FC Barcelona players.

Two Catalan newspapers, Sport and Mundo Deportivo, are running the same photo on the front page of their Wednesday morning editions: Barca players in a half-circle on the pitch against Xavi.

Three days after his side’s 4-1 defeat by Real Madrid, the manager tried to sound the alarm at a time when he is at the center of criticism.

Publicly backed by sporting director Deco, the former midfielder has also said he intends to turn around the fortunes of his side, who are only fourth in La Liga.

But not everything will be simple. According to ESPN, the coach of the Catalans has lost the trust of part of his dressing room. A number of players have been questioning the team’s approach for some time now, and have not taken too kindly to comments from Xavi, who said some of his squad could not adapt to Barca’s style of play.

They also point the finger at the two-pronged criticism of Xavi, where the coach was tougher on some players than others. Despite these dissonant voices, Xavi is said to still feel he is enjoying the attention of his players, according to News.ro.

The doubts of some members of the locker room are not related to the blow received from “Real”. They would appear after defeats against Real Madrid and Girona in La Liga and against Donetsk and Antwerp in the Champions League.

This did not prevent “Barca” from reaching the 1/16 finals of the Champions League against “Napoli”, where they will play for important points.

An important match is also on Thursday in the Spanish Cup against Unionistas Salamanca from the third division.

Rafael Marquez, the favorite to replace Xavi on the Barcelona bench

Although Deku has cleared any doubts about Xavi’s future, things are not so clear in the country. According to ESPN, the coach’s case raises questions about his future after the current season.

If he leaves during the season, a possible replacement has been taking shape in recent days.

It is about the club’s former Mexican centre-back, Rafael Marquez, who is now in charge of Barcelona’s second team. Pressure is mounting on Xavi.