Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has dismisses criticism of coach Xavi.

It's been claimed Barca won the LaLiga title last season by Xavi moving the team away from it's tiki taka traditions.

But Ter Stegen told SPOX: "That is complete nonsense. Every philosophy must evolve. When Xavi played, the quality of the Barça team was significantly higher compared to the competition.

"Since then everything has become more balanced, especially in the physical field. That is why now we have to find different solutions than then.

"Especially at the beginning he tried to give us some stability, and that was very necessary."

Regarding his relationship with Xavi, first as teammates and now as a player, he said: "When he left FC Barcelona in 2015, we remained in contact. We maintain a special connection, a very open relationship. If he expresses sporting criticism, I am very open to it.

"This is important for our relationship. I can separate private and professional matters. I think we Germans in general are good at that."