XAVI BACKS VILANOVA

The Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said that he is extremely confident that the new manager Tito Vilanova can be as successful as the former manager Pep Guardiola. The former Barcelona captain took over the reins from Frank Rijkaard in 2008 and made Barcelona one of the most successful clubs in the world in the last few years.

He has also changed the philosophy of the club to the glory days of Cruyff, will also be responsible for making the Argentine Lionel Messi one of the best players in the world. During the last few years, Barcelona have lifted an astonishing 16 trophies.

Tito Vilanova was the assistant to Guardiola during this period. Now, he has been appointed as the replacement for Guardiola. The 32-year-old midfielder Xavi who has been one of the best players for Barcelona over these four years has said that he is confident that Tito Vilanova can be able to replicate the same success achieved by his predecessor. Xavi has said that one of the reasons that Tito Vilanova can replicate the success is due to his style and thoughts about the game, which is very similar to Guardiola and the change can be seamless according to the 32-year-old.

"Tito Vilanova can take this team on to win many titles. He was already an important coach when Pep was here. He is a man of character. He has very clear ideas and always wants to play a 4-3-3. "I am very happy to be awarded this honour together with Casillas. I have never cut relations with him, we have always remained friends, speaking over the phone. We have great respect for each other," said Xavi in a recent interview. Barcelona have made a strong start to the season after winning the opening three matches to have a five-point lead at the top of the table.