Why Barcelona must be inspired by Arsenal over Xavi's future

FT Desk

• 4 Nov 2022 13:41 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona manager Xavi is under fire following their Champions League exit, but Hector Bellerin thinks his new employers should look to Arsenal's experience with Mikel Arteta.

Bellerin joined Barcelona from Arsenal in the summer on a free transfer, but a calf injury has meant that he only completed his first 90 minutes on Tuesday as the Blaugrana concluded their Champions League campaign with a 4-2 win at Viktoria Plzen.

The victory was ultimately futile for Barca, who tumble into the Europa League after finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

READ: Mikel Arteta to Barcelona: How the Blaugrana could line up

The five-time European champions stand to take a €20m hit for not making it to the knock-out rounds - something they could hardly afford after president Joan Laporta activated "financial levers" to keep them afloat this summer.

Bellerin was one of seven new players to arrive at Camp Nou in the most recent transfer window, with Chelsea pair Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso and AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie also arriving on frees, while more than €150m was spent on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde.

Arsenal example

While they have stuttered in the early part of this season, Bellerin's former club Arsenal have raced to the top of the Premier League. The Gunners have kept faith with Arteta despite previous finishes of eighth, eighth and fifth.

READ: Champions League Worst Team of the Group Stages

"Football's neither black nor white," Bellerin told Marca. "There are many conditional factors that can affect it. There are many signings. These projects take time to bear fruit. [Jurgen] Klopp and [Pep] Guardiola didn't win anything in their first season. Things take time.

"The players are 100 per cent clear about what he wants, and he knows what he wants from the players. Projects that come to fruition have to be prepared, and the process is long. Confidence and continuing to improve is important. Rome wasn't built in a day."