MY ACCOUNT
Gerard Pique revealed he feels “added pressure” as he does not want to let former team-mate and new Barcelona head coach Xavi down.
The centre-back has started all three games of the new era under Xavi, who was appointed in the wake of Ronald Koeman’s dismissal at the end of October.
Barca have won twice while drawing the other of Xavi’s first three games and currently sit in 10th in LaLiga, 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Pique now feels an added incentive and pressure to perform for the former Blaugrana midfielder, who he played with 261 times during the Catalan club’s halcyon days.
“Xavi has arrived and has set standards like many coaches,” Pique told Spanish television show El Hormiguero on Tuesday.
“They are necessary to demand orders and we are going to fulfil them all as it has always been in the past.
“It puts added pressure on me to have Xavi as a coach, you don’t want to let him down.
“Morally I have to give him my best and if my performance is not the best I feel like I’m failing him.”
Barca’s challenge has mounted this term following the departure of Lionel Messi, who ended a 21-year association with the Spanish giants as he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Pique explained the difficulties of seeing Messi leave as he reminisced on a glory period with the Argentine superstar, who collected a record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday.
“It was very hard, we played together since we were 14 years old,” he added. “It was very hard from a sporting and personal point of view. Things haven’t gone well for us at the start of the season.
“I am happy for him and his seventh Ballon d’Or proves that he is the best of all time.
“He has gone to a new country and a new culture. It’s difficult, it happened to me when I was 17 when I went to Manchester [United]. Leo has gone with his family and I went on my own, but it’s hard.”
Pique has no ambitions to leave Barca, though he has been gradually preparing himself for a potential retirement.
“Many team-mates say that when you retire it’s hard. You have had this routine since you were little,” the 34-year-old continued.
“It takes you a long time to adapt to the new life. People can take a year or more. And people recognise you less and less in the street and generations go by. It’s hard.
“I have been preparing myself for this life for a long time. Investing in business, projects, [and so on] to have something to do after I retire.
“The key is to have something to do after leaving football. But clearly, I’m going to miss football.”
