He went out concentrated to train Xavi Hernández’s Barça after a video session to analyze the mistakes made against Athletic Club with whom they tied in San Mamés and study how to minimize Aguirre’s Mallorca, finalist of the Copa del Rey after beating teams like Real Sociedad or Girona. In Son Moix, Barça tied (2-2) and the team is aware that the best way to face Tuesday’s match against Naples in the Champions League is to beat the Balearic team.
“Mallorca must be congratulated. Above all for being in that Cup final. They are a supportive, rocky, physically very strong team. They will be a defensive and difficult opponent that comes with confidence. But we play at home and we hope to play a great game for take the three points,” asked Xavi, who doesn’t want anyone to think that the League is lost. “It would be a mistake to focus only on the Champions League. There are 11 rounds left. We still have possibilities and we will try until mathematically the numbers say it is not possible,” he warned.
Beyond winning, the challenge for Xavi’s board is to draw an eleven without Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong, who are injured. Gavi said goodbye to the season in January after tearing his meniscus and cruciates with Spain. In San Mamés, Frenkie de Jong fell due to a sprained right ankle and Pedri due to his usual problem: his right thigh. “There is not much to choose from in the midfield. We have Fermín and Gündogan as natural midfielders. So we will have to reinvent footballers, as we have already done with Christensen, who I think is going very well. We can readapt João Félix, Raphinha , Ferran and Sergi Roberto… but they are not typical midfielders,” the coach assumed.
The injuries of the Canarian and the Dutchman make the coaching staff consider a change of system for the second leg of the round of 16 against Naples. The fourth midfielder, who provides stability, can make way for two wingers who are pure forwards to have more of a sense of goal. Against Mallorca they will decide the best alternative to face the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Real Madrid is already classified after beating Leipzig, who dominated the match and had 34 chances. “The normal thing is that we lose if they shoot at us 34 times. The most deserving does not always win, which is why football is so great. It is unpredictable,” said the coach of the white victory.
Neither Pedri nor De Jong are new on the casualty list. Both have suffered the same injuries this season. In the case of Pedri, it is the third time that the biceps femoris of his right leg has been injured. “I have told Pedri that he must think that it is the last injury. It is not as serious as we thought and we hope that he can be ready soon,” said Xavi of the Canary Islands that he could return in a month and a half. “He is not the first player to whom it happens that at the beginning of his career he has injuries and then he has no more. He is also experiencing a situation that does not affect him due to his age,” added the coach.
Ferran Torres, who will try to be against Naples, and also the full-back Marcos Alonso, who underwent lower back surgery last January and who returned to training this Wednesday, are still injured. Alonso has not played since last November and is in the final stretch of his recovery.
The former Chelsea player has practically not counted for Xavi Hernández this season. He has only taken part in seven games. Marcos Alonso’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has all the numbers not to continue as a Barça player.
Beyond the match against Mallorca, Xavi, a club man, highlighted Laporta’s management that this March 7 marks three years in the presidency of the club. “I think the president found a club in a very difficult economic moment, also at an institutional and sporting level… I think a good job is being done. I already said that it is halfway to doing something great. For me “Laporta is the best president in the history of Barcelona and he has to prove it again. He is capable, he is a leader, positive… If there is any person capable of getting Barça out of this situation, it is precisely Laporta,” said Xavi.
