Xavi, who has not lost a game this season (eight wins and two draws), has problems piling up. And all in the offensive part of Barça. First he lost Pedri; then, to Frenkie de Jong. He was, therefore, left without references in the creation, beyond the figure of Gündogan and the dynamism that Gavi imprints. Then Raphinha was injured (muscle) and, finally, Lewandowski, caught in Porto on his left ankle. The coach does not have forwards to appear this Sunday night at the duel with Granada at the New Los Cármenes stadium.
Therefore, Barça begins without Lewandowski, pillar, reference and scorer of Xavi’s work. He has six goals in the first 10 games of the season. In other words, he loses the technician at the end of his project. The player who finishes off all the work of the others, a role that must now be played by Ferran Torres, escorted on the right by Lamine Yamal (there is no more room for protection because Xavi has no one else there after Raphinha’s injury) and by João Félix, who has had six consecutive starts after 11 minutes of opening in Pamplona.
Fermín played as a ‘false nine’ in the quarry
“They are very sensitive losses. It is very difficult to replace a world-class player like Robert,” revealed the Barça coach, who has acknowledged that he has several alternatives (Ferran, João, even Fermín, “who has played as a false nine in the quarry” or Pau Víctor and Marc Guiu) to occupy that very strategic position.
Xavi knows where he is. With a weakened team in attack and the demand through the roof. “In Porto it was the game where we ran more kilometers than ever,” said the coach to praise the “attitude and sacrifice” of his players. But it is not enough, as the coach stressed. “Barça’s environment has a tremendous capacity to undervalue everything. Everything, everything, everything… It’s tremendous,” said Xavi when asked about the influence that the absence of the injured Frenkie de Jong has on the team’s game.
“A footballer who is an eight is a six. One who is a 10 is an eight. This is like that! The Barça footballer must be very strong mentally. This does not happen in other clubs”
“But tremendous, eh! A footballer who is an eight is a six. One who is a 10 is an eight. This is like that!,” exclaimed the coach. “This is like that! The Barça footballer must be very mentally strong. This doesn’t happen in other clubs,” said Xavi in a message that he has been repeating in recent weeks. “That doesn’t happen in other places and that’s why it’s so difficult to play for Barça. That’s why I always tell you that it is the most difficult club in the world because it is like that,” said the coach.
“The players arrive here and then we are all criticized but when they come they say: ‘If this player has a high level, why is he so criticized? Because it’s Barça, friend. This is how it works!”
Barça coach
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But it has not stopped at that exhibition. She has gone a little further. “That’s how footballers feel when you talk to them and it’s up to us to give them the greatest confidence possible. They are very good, they have shown that they can win as a team and now that you have asked me about Frenkie we believe that he is one of the best midfielders in the world” , said the coach regarding the former Ajax player. “And it is, it is when he trains, on a day-to-day basis and many people are surprised. They arrive here and we are all criticized but when they come they say: ‘If this guy has a high level, why is he so criticized? Because it’s Barça , buddy. That’s how it works!”
“There is no doubt that this is the most demanding club in the world because it is the only one that requires winning, playing well and always having good feelings. It is the only club in the world where that happens”
Barça coach
Xavi knows him better than anyone. He has spent his entire life in his home, Barça. But that doesn’t mean he stops explaining what he feels in there. “I hope I reach 200 games, yes. There is no doubt that this is the most demanding club in the world because it is the only one that requires winning, playing well and always having good feelings. It is the only club in the world in “What’s happening,” the coach said.