On Friday, renewal with Barça. On Saturday, magical comeback against Celta. On Sunday, the lead after Madrid’s defeat. “It has been a great weekend,” confirmed Xavi Hernández. “If we are leaders it is because we are doing things well, we are on the right path, and we are competitive. Being leaders now is anecdotal,” he recalled that there are still 32 days left.
The Barcelona coach assured that he is not yet thinking about the classic or expanding his lead in the month until Madrid visits Montjuïc. “I always see Madrid as strong. It was an important victory for Atlético de Madrid. I don’t want to get involved in Ancelotti’s work,” he respected.
The Blaugrana are making their first appearance in Mallorca, where they won 0-1 in their last two visits, and it will be the first game in which they will not have Frenkie de Jong, injured in his right ankle against Celta. “He is a sensitive loss because he is a fundamental player. He was splendid”, he regretted being left without the Dutch brain, who could be out for more than a month and miss precisely that classic. Although Xavi does not give deadlines. “Let’s hope he makes a good recovery, also during the international break. We hope not to be resentful of his or Pedri’s loss,” he recalled that he cannot count on the Canary Islander either.
Against Aguirre’s Mallorca, which also uses a five-man defense like Celta, Xavi warned that we must “attack better, attack spaces, play with fewer touches and have high circulation,” he prescribed. After analyzing the duel against Celta, he reiterated that he did not like his team’s play. “In the first 70 minutes we did not have the necessary activation. It was a wake-up call. The result was very positive, the game was not,” was his conclusion after reviewing the match.
The coach himself acknowledged that the immediate performance of the new signings has surprised them. “It’s what you always want and hope for. It is because of the individual quality of these players. They are proven players, all five of them. Perhaps the youngest is João Félix, but he has understood it very well. That position suits him perfectly, because he can come to receive and also attack spaces,” he analyzed the adaptation of the former colchonero, author of a great assist to Lewandowski in the 1-2.
The good moment of João Félix has made us forget, although it is not the exact same position, the departure of Dembélé. “I’m not worried about PSG. I have no grudge against Ousmane. But Barça continues. One player leaves and another appears,” Xavi conceded, happy in the leadership and “very happy” with his squad.
