Undefeated at the start of the season, leader in the Champions League one step away from the round of 16 and with seven wins in seven games in Montjuïc, Xavi feels that he has the pan by the handle just before receiving Real Madrid. Used to having to play barefaced, he now hides his cards well and puts on a poker face. After overcoming the plague of injuries, despite the fact that he still does not swim in abundance, the coach of Barça expands his range of possibilities, rearms and even plays for breath and to create uncertainty in the rival. The worst has happened, they point to the sports city, after several calls with 12 or 13 footballers with first team cards. The classic has acted as an invigorating effect for the squad and Xavi must take advantage of this advantage.
Overnight, five new footballers joined training. Yesterday, Lewandowski, Raphinha, De Jong, Pedri and Koundé entered the training camp with their teammates, who received them with a corridor of clatters, anteroom to receive the medical discharge. This would open up a handful of possibilities to surprise Ancelotti again. In his day he reinvented Araújo as a full-back and last season he took Gavi out of his sleeve as a false left winger, two very successful modifications.
“I was surprised too”, he confessed. “Players that we ruled out are better, they have good feelings. I guess it’s because it’s a classic. For a coach it is fantastic that all the players want to be there”, he reflected, while pointing out that it is the players themselves who want to force. “They all have a lot of commitment and involvement. They all wanted to train, test themselves and play,” he explained. Some, especially Koundé, have shortened the recovery period. “The news is that players who had it for five weeks, want to play in three”, he emphasized.
The impact of seeing them on the list this morning will have an undeniable effect on the opponent. Holders or substitutes? At the beginning or as repulsive? And Fermín and Lamine Yamal? Where will Cancelo play? The thinking heads of Madrid will begin to sense. Obviously, Xavi, as he used to do as a player, hides the ball, saves the information and manages the times. He will not give hints, but will wait until the last minute to choose his eleven. Although there is one thing that is clear: the classic is not a day for experiments. “Those who are better will play. The opposite would be making a mistake. In a classic you have to be at 100%”. Therefore, Lewandowski, touched on the left ankle, is the one who has the most options to enter the lineup, since his presence conditions, and a lot, the central whites.
As a youth player and ex-captain, the one from Terrassa, who will live his eighth Classic on the bench, is aware of the importance that Barcelona fans give to the game. In addition, winning would mean “a boost of confidence and encouragement because we would be ahead of them in the classification. We consider it as an opportunity”, he recalled, although he sees the two teams as equal. “The obligation is the same for both clubs. There is almost never a favorite. It is at 50%”.
He also doesn’t seem too concerned about the appointment of Gil Manzano as referee. “The less we talk about him, the better. I always believe in his honesty and I hope he always succeeds”, he asked, in his line to calm spirits and direct the speech towards football. “I will not be the one to generate controversy”, he dodged.
Tactically, Xavi has detected that “Madrid has changed the pattern with Bellingham. Now Vinícius and Rodrygo stand out more in depth”, he said. “We will be brave and daring. We want to dominate, but we will have to be a little more cautious because these two footballers stay loose, sometimes three with Bellingham. You have to watch out for losses and more so against Madrid, who make the most of transitions”, he admitted. This makes one consider playing with more advanced Cancelo. Now all he has to do is uncover his cards and name his eleven.
