Xavi talks Cancelo, Roque, Pedri, Gundogan, De Jong, Araujo, Ferran ahead of Real Betis vs Barcelona
Barcelona will lock horns with Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis outfit tomorrow night as they look to close down the gap to the top in La Liga.
The Blaugrana currently find themselves in fourth place in the league standings, below Girona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Club, and will be eager to make up ground with a victory tomorrow night.
Coming on the back of a 3-1 win over Unionistas de Salamanca in Copa del Rey, the confidence will be better than what it was last weekend and Xavi Hernandez & co. will be eager to build on that further.
On the eve of the match, Xavi attended his customary pre-match press conference, during which he discussed a variety of topics, starting with tomorrow’s opposition Real Betis, as he said:
“Tomorrow we have a tough match. They haven’t lost at home. We’re starting the second half of the season with all our enthusiasm, knowing that we’re behind Girona and Madrid, but we’ll be able to come back from behind.
“It’s the best scenario to see a good Barça and win, based on good play.”
Team, pressure, and Copa del Rey draw
Giving an analysis of the team and what is working and not clicking at the time, Xavi said: “Defensively we are very good, we are also very good at pressing high. We win balls back and we are excellent in strategy.
“I’m talking about the last pass, to choose well, but we have very young players. I despair because I see the pass, which was my quality, but it’s a matter of time. It was not a criticism. It’s a feeling of desperation from me. The youngsters have to keep trying.”
Barcelona have been drawn against Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, with the game to be played away at San Mames. Giving his thoughts on the draw, Xavi remarked:
“It will be very difficult at San Mamés. It was an opponent we didn’t want, on their pitch. But step by step, first Betis. We have to get back into La Liga.”
“I see it well. It’s a good draw. Everything is at stake, we will compete at San Mamés. The last two times we’ve been knocked out and hopefully the third time’s the charm. They are one of the fittest teams,” he further added.
On what he is asking of his players amidst a difficult run, the Barça boss said: “That they play good football and achieve the level showed vs Betis at home, or against Porto, Atlético…. This level to get the results. We want to win and convince, but it’s costing us. The message is to be calm, calm and compete.”
With the Super Cup lost, Barcelona are still alive in three competitions – La Liga, Champions League, and Copa del Rey. When asked if the league was the top priority at this point, Xavi replied:
“We can’t discard anything. We have to go for all the titles we have left. We have to improve our game and win games by convincing. There are three very important titles and we want to fight until the end.”
On the pressure on the team given that they are trailing in La Liga, he said: “We’re optimistic that we can make up the six or seven points that we’re behind. We are starting the second half of the season with maximum enthusiasm.”
When asked if Barça stand a chance of winning all three trophies, he added: “Yes, I firmly believe that. You can’t be sure of winning. There are many clubs that haven’t won for many years. We have done it with the majority of last year’s squad.”
The squad
The manager then confirmed that there would be some rotations made to keep the whole squad fresh, before providing an update on the availability of key defender Joao Cancelo.
“It will be difficult for tomorrow, but I am optimistic for the Cup. He tried but he was in pain. It’s logical that he won’t be here tomorrow, but he will be for the Cup,” Xavi stated.
There has been some frustration among fans because of Xavi not using new arrival Vitor Roque enough in the past few matches. It was widely expected that the Brazil ace would start vs Unionistas, but it was not to be as he was said to be not at 100%.
Providing an update on Roque’s situation, he said: “It wasn’t an injury, it was just a slight discomfort. The other day he was very good. Quick, with depth… He’s one hundred percent and he’s a player who can give us things.”
On the midfield trio of Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, and Frenkie de Jong, who made things tick in the second half vs Unionistas, Xavi said:
“We haven’t had them together very often and it has marked us a bit in the lack of continuity in the game. The midfielders are the identity and unfortunately, we haven’t had them together.”
When asked what is going wrong for his team at the moment, he said: “We’ve given away a lot defensively, we’ve conceded too many goals and we’ve conceded too many mistakes and we’ve been ineffective. In the penalty areas we’re getting scored on.”
Frenkie de Jong spoke earlier today in an interview, when he pointed out areas where the team needed to improve. When asked to comment on the Dutchman’s words, Xavi said:
“Continuity and concentration should already be the basics, but sometimes the opponent overcomes you. These things are non-negotiable and we must improve. I’m with Frenkie.”
Xavi then reserved praise for forward Ferran Torres, who is coming into his own recent games, saying:
“Ferran embodies what a mentally strong footballer is. To play for Barça you need that. Sometimes they make you feel small or that you’re not worth it. This is Barça.
“Ferran has had to be very strong mentally. He wrote me a very important message and I thought that this kid was going to turn the tables. He’s scored eight goals and he’s positive. He embodies what a Barça player has to be.”
A lot has been made of Xavi’s decision to deploy Ronald Araujo at right-back in the Super Cup final defeat to Real Madrid. When asked about the Uruguayan’s best position, Xavi said:
“His natural position is as a centre-back, but due to the circumstances of the team he has to help out wherever he is needed. I spoke to him and he asked me to play at full-back. He felt comfortable, but we weren’t up to the task.”
Meanwhile, young Pau Cubarsi made his first-team debut vs Unionistas and gave a good account of himself on Thursday night. Discussing the La Masia product, the manager said:
“He played with a very big personality and he was very good. We have high hopes for him. He is very young but we believe he is ready.”
On whether the number of injuries concern him, the Barcelona boss said: “Injuries are always a problem, but it’s not a concern. I’m more concerned about improving the game. Injuries are part of football. Tomorrow Betis will have a lot of absentees. It’s part of the calendar and the demands of the competition.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
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