Pep Guardiola backs Xavi to be Barcelona's next boss, sympathizes with ex-coach Koeman

Legendary Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has publicly endorsed club legend Xavi Hernandez to take charge at the Camp Nou after Ronald Koeman got sacked on Wednesday night. The current Manchester City boss was the head coach of the Catalan giants between 2008 and 2012, a time when the club achieved tremendous amounts of success both domestically and in Europe.

Pep, who is well aware of La Liga and Barcelona in particular, explained why he backs Xavi as he also offered his sympathies to former boss Koeman after he was dismissed owing to poor results.

Pep Guardiola publicly endorses Xavi as next Barcelona coach

While speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola said, "Xavi, if it happens, I don't have any doubts he's ready to do the job. He knows the environment, which is so important. He knows the game. He has passion. He has more experience now than I had when I took over."  However, the Manchester City boss warned that the quality of players in a club is more integral to a team's success than a good coach, referencing Koeman, who was sacked after a series of poor results.

"Koeman knows, and Sergi [Barjuan, who is currently interim boss] knows. And Xavi and I know, that success depends on the recruitment and the players. People forget - we are responsible, but our influence is more minimal than people believe. The success I had was because of the quality of the players. Xavi, of course, is really good. If Xavi is the next manager, I wish him all the best and hopefully step by step, the team can come back."

Pep Guardiola sympathies with Ronald Koeman

When asked about Ronald Koeman's sacking, Pep Guardiola explained why he felt sympathetic for him as he said, "Ronald and I know exactly that we depend and live and expect, and we are there for the results. Nobody can survive without results, no Koeman, no Pep. He's a friend of mine, I wish him the best and will see him soon, and I'm sure he did good things for the young players in the academy. Everybody knows it. Doesn't matter what you do. It depends on the job."