Xavi exclusive: Jose Mourinho a good manager 'in his own way'

Xavi says he was not surprised to see former team-mate Pedro join Chelsea – despite the Catalan club’s various run-ins with Mourinho while the Blues manager was at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.

Mourinho was partially responsible for an escalation in the Clasico rivalry between the two clubs during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, antagonising his rivals at every opportunity and, at one point, even sticking his finger in the eye of the late Tito Vilanova during a match between the two sides.

Mourinho’s antics always seemed to rile Barcelona – then-captain Carles Puyol and Real’s Iker Casillas reportedly had to step in to end a growing rift between the two sets of players within the Spain setup – but Xavi insists he was not surprised to see Pedro end up agreeing to work under the Portuguese.

“Not at all,” Xavi told Eurosport's Pete Burton, when asked about Pedro following in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and uniting with Mourinho.

“They both wanted to leave. Cesc back then and Pedro this year, they wanted to leave Barca, perhaps to have more minutes, more prominence and that’s what they are having at Chelsea with Mourinho as they would with any other manager in the future.

“But it’s a good thing for them, it’s a great club and Mourinho, in his own way, is a great manager.”

Chelsea have not started the season well - picking up just eight points from their opening eight games - but Xavi expects them to turn it around soon.

“They’re not doing too well and I’m very surprised as they have a great team,” Xavi said. “But I think they will do well, I’m sure.

“They have great players, a great manager, last year they won the Premier League and they are virtually the same team, apart from a few players.

“I’m very surprised by the bad start, but I think they will turn it around. I’m sure.”

Xavi was speaking at a promotional event for Tocball. Visit the Facebook page here.