Barcelona coach Xavi announced on Friday that his contract extension with the Spanish champions has been confirmed and will be made official soon.
The former Barca midfielder, who took over as coach in 2021, will extend his contract for one season until 2025. Xavi led the club to their first La Liga title since 2019 and the Spanish Super Cup last season. “We have arrived at a difficult time. , under unfavorable conditions,” Xavi told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s match against Celta Vigo.
“Last year we won two important titles. We are in a transition process.”
Xavi said Barca had just played “their two best games” since he took over, with 5-0 wins against both Real Betis in La Liga and Royal Antwerp in the Champions League group stages.
Xavi took over from Ronald Koeman two years after his retirement as a player, with a contract until June 2024.
Barcelona are currently second in La Liga, two points behind Real Madrid.
Nagelsmann Named The New Coach Of Germany
Germany named Julian Nagelsmann on Friday as head coach to replace the sacked Hansi Flick, just nine months before hosting the European Championship, the German football association (DFB) announced.
The former Bayern Munich boss has signed a deal until the end of next July, allowing the 36-year-old to leave after Euro 2024.
“We have a European Championship in our own country – that’s something special,” Nagelsmann said in a statement released on Friday. “I am very excited to take on this challenge.”
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf called Nagelsmann “an excellent coach” and said: “We are sure that he will ensure that the national team inspires its fans and that the Euros are also a great success.”
Flick became the first coach in German history to be sacked when he received his marching orders earlier this month.
He had won just four of 17 games before his dismissal and led the team to a disappointing group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Flick was stunned after a 4-1 friendly loss to Japan in Wolfsburg in early September.
Nagelsmann, who also succeeded Flick as Bayern coach, has been out of work since the German champions sacked him in March.
Germain.DFB’s Rudi Voeller played the reins on a “one-off” basis for Germany’s 2-1 win over France in Dortmund, but said his main task was to find a permanent successor.
Nagelsmann said the win over France was “the start” of the team’s journey to Euro 2024.