Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti backs Xavi to turn things around at Barcelona, as the Blaugrana boss faces mounting pressure amid LaLiga champions’ poor run of form

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has backed Xavi to turn things around at Barcelona amid the Catalan side’s recent slump. 

The LaLiga champions have fallen to fourth in the table, four points behind Real Madrid in first place, after dropping points in three of their last five matches in all competitions, with pressure starting to mount on Xavi.

The Catalan outfit were beaten 2-1 by their Spanish rivals in last month’s El Clasico, before suffering a shock 1-0 defeat by Shakhtar in the Champions League. They also required a last minute own goal to help them rescue a point against Rayo Vallecano at the weekend. 

While his side have fallen off the pace in recent weeks, Ancelotti believes Xavi has the required experience to galvanise his team and turn their mixed form around.    

‘Xavi, like me, knows football very well, and there is criticism,’ Ancelotti said in a press conference.

The LaLiga champions have dropped to fourth in the table following their disappointing draw to Rayo Vallecano

Pressure is mounting on Xavi, but he has called on his players to up their level ahead of their Champions League clash against Porto on Tuesday night

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‘Sometimes it can happen, but Xavi has the experience to manage all this. He knows the atmosphere [around Barcelona] and I think he has everything he needs to manage the situation.’

After their disappointing draw to Rayo on Sunday, Xavi issued a rallying cry to his team, claiming his side were not at the right level. 

He told reporters after the match: ‘I’m very critical of the players, in the videos, in the talks. We have to demand a lot of ourselves. 

‘We are not at the level we were a month and a half or two months ago.

‘We have to push harder, recover our intensity, our winning mentality. We have shown that. Now we’ve dropped a bit.

‘We have to be more humble, more generous, more compact. And starting on Tuesday.’

While they have claimed victories against Real Sociedad and Alaves in recent weeks, the Catalan club will next face stern tests against Atletico Madrid and Girona, who are second and third in the table. 

They have also been dealt a cruel injury blow after Gavi was ruled out for a long period with a serious knee ligament injury during Spain’s 3-1 win against Georgia during the international break. 

Despite that, Barcelona are back in Champions League action tonight and face Porto at home. The Portuguese side can leapfrog the Spanish outfit to go top of the Group H table with a win. 

Speaking on the match, according to Forbes, Xavi stressed the importance of getting a result from their midweek clash.

‘It’s a fundamental game, we have a lot at stake,’ he said. 

‘The fans must know this and cheer them [the players] on as they have always done. It’s very important that they’re with the team.’

Barcelona have lost two of their last five games, including their shock 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar

They come up against stern challenges against Atletico Madrid and Girona next in LaLiga

Ancelotti was also guarding against complacency as Real Madrid come up against Napoli on Wednesday, who have recently replaced their manager Rudi Garcia with Walter Mazzarri

Madrid, meanwhile, sit top of LaLiga, level on points with Girona and come up against Napoli on Wednesday, who have recently replaced their manager Rudi Garcia. 

Walter Mazzarri will take the reins for the Champions League clash, returning to the club after a 10-year absence. 

Speaking on his appointment, Ancelotti said: ‘(Mazzarri) knows Italian football very well and he’s a good friend.

While his side sit top of their group, the Italian was quick to guard against complacency, claiming: ‘The change of coach gives them more motivation.’