Xavi: "We're losing one of world football's big coaches"

Posted Thursday, May 23, 2013 by Marca.com

Xavi:

Xavi Hernández assured that Real Madrid will continue to win titles despite José Mourinho's departure, and admitted that the Portuguese manager has always given the Barça squad an "extra motivation".

"We'll see what happens without Mourinho, but I'm convinced that Real will keep winning titles with or without Mourinho," said the Barcelona mastermind.

Barça's assistant captain stressed that the 'Azulgranas' need to try to forget about what Real Madrid is doing and focus on competing in order for the team to keep winning titles.

"We've carried on winning titles with Mourinho. In the three years he's been here, he's nicked a title or two, but we've carried on winning. That has to remain our objective," he stressed.

Xavi also believes that the Portuguese manager's personality has always been a motivation for Barcelona: "He's a controversial manager. He's always provided an extra motivation. I don't know whether we'll miss him or not." However, he did acknowledge that the Portuguese manager's exit represents a significant loss for the Spanish league, because "we're losing one of world football's big coaches".