The Barça coach considered the three points against Valencia “vital”: “The defeat in Almería has to serve as experience, we cannot make any more mistakes”
The Egarense coach pointed out that “the victory against Madrid was a blow to morale and confidence, but now it must be transferred to the League”
He FC Barcelona He has reached that point in the season where there is no time to celebrate the victories or digest the losses. The hard-fought victory at the Bernabéu is now part of the past and, after the league setback against Almería, the Barca team faces Valencia’s visit to the Spotify Camp Nou as a “final”. “For us, tomorrow’s match is a final. Madrid plays later and we can put pressure on them. We want the three points, we can’t make any more mistakes… and even less at home“, stated Xavi Hernández at the press conference prior to the match corresponding to matchday 24 of the Santander League.
The Egarense coach assured that the arrival of Rubén Baraja at Mestalla has given “aggressiveness”, “intensity”, “solidarity” and “defensive order” to Valencia. “He will be a rival who, having emergencies, will complicate things a lot for us. We will have to be neat in attack. The victory against Madrid was a blow to morale and confidence, but now it must be transferred to another competition, to the League. Has arrived the time of truth. We are playing two titles and the defeat against Almería has to give us experience”, he insisted. Aware that his Barça will face a low block, the man from Valles asked his players to “get out of the script” and “risk more “, well “If you do what is fair and necessary, it is difficult to generate attack situations”.
In an appearance marked by the debate on the style generated as a result of the image shown by the culé team in the Copa del Rey classic, Xavi recalled that “Barça is the most difficult club in the world”. “We beat the league and European champions in their field and they are talking about possession. I already said it last year and they gave me hosts like a piano: Barça is the most difficult club in the world because you win 0-1 at the Madrid stadium and it’s not convincing. If it were the other way around, it would be a national holiday”, he claimed. The Barcelona coach, however, understands that “in Barça, an ocean liner, there is always noise”. “The important thing is to manage the situation calmly,” he said.
“We always want to defend with the ball, but at the Bernabéu we didn’t get it. There are times when the rivals can submit you. We will never look for 35% possession. We want it to be 60, 70, even 80%. We have to understand, however, that the teams can submit you, and we, without the ball, did extraordinarily well. The opponent plays and we work the defense. We do not dominate with the ball, but we do without the ball“, he reflected on the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. On the fight with Madrid for the two most prestigious titles in state football, Xavi considered that the continental KO could benefit his pupils: “We would like to stay alive in Europe, but it has not been possible. We will have more time to recover well and train better”.
Step forward for Marcos Alonso and Kessie
Xavi updated the physical states of the injured players in the squad. While andreas christensen “He is already 100%” and Robert Lewandowski’s feelings “are very good”, Pedro and Ousmane Dembele “keep on with your progress.” For the coach, what is truly important is that Barça survived without them in a highly demanding scenario. “We show that we are a winning team. It is very important to obtain positive results without the most important footballers on the team,” he justified. Sergi Robertorenewed until June 30, 2024, was another proper name of the appearance: “For me his renewal is great news. He is an extraordinary footballer, I have praised him many times. In the locker room we highly value him as a person and professional. It’s a guarantee“.
Once again, the Catalan coach assured that he sees “very well” Ansu Fati. That the youth squad “will be important” and that “I have a lot of faith in him.” He did not move one millimeter from his usual speech with the ’10’. He also did not skimp on praise when he was asked about the growth of Franck Kessie. “We are very happy with him. He loses few balls and has good ‘timing’ to arrive in the area. He works for the team and is generous. These matches are giving him confidence & rdquor ;, he replied. Finally, Mark Alonso is delivering “sensational performance.” “He is a winner of duels, he covers his back well, he is fast for his size and he gives us the ball out & mldr; He is a very professional player. and a good boy“, settled.