BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Xavi Hernández says he walked back his decision to leave Barcelona this summer after his players convinced him “this is a winning team” even if this season will end without any trophies.
“Many people, including my players, have made me see that this is not over," Xavi said on Thursday at a news conference.
Xavi spoke a day after he reached an agreement with Barcelona to reverse his January decision to leave his boyhood club after this season. He has committed to finishing out the final year of his contract that lasts until June 2025.
Xavi said the improved play of this team has been key. That, and feeling he “has the strength” to go on.
The Spain great said he has always put the good of the team and club first. And while he once thought his team needed a new approach, now he thinks he can still be successful.
He denied it was about money: “The club president knows that if I had not finished the last year of my contract I would not have asked to be paid one single euro.”
The decision to stay came three days after a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid that all but ended the team’s chances of a trophy. The loss in Madrid left Barcelona 11 points behind its rival with six matches remaining in the Spanish league. A week ago, Barcelona was eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals.
But at least Barcelona showed some improvement since Xavi's unexpected announcement in January to leave. After that, it strung a 13-game unbeaten streak before falling to PSG.
“I don’t think my time here is over and I believe that we can be successful. I am convinced of that, and these three months have made me see that,” Xavi said. “And since changing one’s mind is a sign of wisdom, I have decide to change my mind.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez applauds next to Barcelona's president Joan Laporta during a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Coach Xavi Hernández will stay with Barcelona for another year after all. He has agreed with the club to finish his contract to 2025 after having decided to quit at the end of the season. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez, right, Barcelona's president Joan Laporta, center, and the sports director of the Club, Deco, join hands during a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Coach Xavi Hernández will stay with Barcelona for another year after all. He has agreed with the club to finish his contract to 2025 after having decided to quit at the end of the season. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez smiles next to Barcelona's president Joan Laporta during a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Coach Xavi Hernández will stay with Barcelona for another year after all. He has agreed with the club to finish his contract to 2025 after having decided to quit at the end of the season. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov gave the Carolina Hurricanes their breakthrough moment to continue his strong postseason, while Jack Roslovic offered his own stay-ready moment after recently being a healthy scratch.
That pushed the Hurricanes back ahead of the Washington Capitals in their second-round playoff series — along with maybe easing some of the frustration that built amid two games filled with blocked shots and turned-away chances.
Svechnikov pounced on a loose puck immediately after a faceoff to score the game's first goal midway through the second period, while Roslovic followed with a power-play score late in the period. Those marked the start of what turned into Carolina's romp through the final 30 minutes on the way to a 4-0 win on Saturday night in Game 3 after splitting the first two road games in the series.
“Sometimes you need those individual efforts,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “We had that tonight."
And in this case, they provided the jolt that loosened the Hurricanes' spinning-in-mud wheels.
The Hurricanes are at their best when they're using their depth to roll lines and pressure opponents with an aggressive forecheck that can keep the puck in the offensive zone for withering stretches and make defenders scrap for clean outlets. Yet they returned home to find the Capitals carrying the action through the first period and into the second, both in generating chances against Frederik Andersen and in keeping the puck moving against Carolina's pressure.
Worse, it came after Carolina had managed just two 5-on-5 goals through Games 1 and 2, a combination of strong play from Logan Thompson in net and skaters repeatedly blocking shots to keep pucks from even getting to him. And the Hurricanes had their close calls, ringing the post four times through the first two games while Svechnikov twice hit the crossbar in Game 1.
It didn't help, too, that Svechnikov pinged the top left corner of the frame against Thompson again on a first-period charge up the ice that felt familiar as the Capitals carried play.
Eventually, though, Svechnikov and Roslovic seemingly pried the lid off the net.
First it was Svechnikov springing into the circle to beat John Carlson to the puck, then zipping it past Thompson at 12:34 of the second for the game’s first goal.
“I just saw the puck kind of loose and tried to make the move closer to the puck, and got the puck and shot it,” Svechnikov said.
That made the 25-year-old one of four players in this postseason to score at least six goals.
Then there was Roslovic, who scored 22 goals in the regular season and played as the fourth-line center through the first three games of the first-round series against New Jersey. But Brind'Amour shuffled the lineup for Game 4 and went with Mark Jankowski, who held the role for the final two games against the Devils and then for the Game 1 win against Washington before exiting with an undisclosed injury.
Roslovic returned for Thursday's Game 2 loss, then came through in a big way Saturday night with a multipoint night while centering the second line. He broke through on the power play by taking a feed from Brent Burns up top, then sent the puck off skittering through an opening off Thompson's right leg with 1:03 left for the 2-0 lead.
He also assisted on Eric Robinson's goal early in the third that pushed the margin to 3-0.
“I don’t really want to get too deep into it,” Roslovic said of the emotions of being a healthy scratch in the playoffs. “But just always be ready and try to help the team win.”
And just like that, the Hurricanes held a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 looming here Monday night.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Roslovic, second left, celebrates his goal with Brent Burns (8), Logan Stankoven (22), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) and Taylor Hall (71) during the second period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with Sebastian Aho (20) during the second period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
