With self-esteem higher than ever after the victories against Porto and especially against Atlético de Madrid. Convinced that in this week without games, he has been able to work with his players on all the technical variants presented by Míchel’s Girona, co-leading team in the League and direct rival of his Barcelona with a four-point advantage. This is how Xavi Hernández showed himself in the press room in the preview of the First Division Catalan derby. A match that comes surrounded by a very different atmosphere due to the growth of Míchel’s team. “They can win the League perfectly,” warned Xavi.
“Surprisingly for many people, they are co-leaders of the League. But for us it is not a surprise. They are a very dynamic team. They push, they want to have a leading role… you see the ability they have to improve themselves and to have the ball,” added the coach who did not He spared his words to give the game the packaging it deserves.
And his Barça? how will it come out? “We will vary little. Last year Girona showed its two versions. In Montilivi they locked themselves in and here they attacked. We have proposed several scenarios knowing that this season they have more individualities and that now they have more records if possible,” analyzed Xavi, who takes the very serious game and who values ??his leader, coach Míchel, above all. “What Míchel is doing this season has a lot of merit, he can coach any top-level team,” he added.
Due to all these ingredients and after the hard-fought victories against Porto and Atlético, in the mind of the Barça coach there is no other objective other than to win one more peace of mind bonus. Xavi wants to complete the trilogy of transcendental matches with another victory. He does not want to stay seven points behind Girona, a distance that no one from the club denies could become too difficult in the fight for the League, no matter how long the season is. “We did very well beating Porto and Atlético de Madrid. We go with high self-esteem. Hopefully we can show the complete image that we show against Atlético,” sighed Xavi.
Barça will meet old acquaintances again on Sunday in Montjuïc. Two players on loan from the Barcelona club play in Míchel’s Girona. They are Eric Garcia and Pablo Torre. The first one will be able to play. To the second, the popularly known as ‘fear clause’ was applied, a contractual provision that is applied after a negotiation between two clubs for the loan of a player. In its wording it is specified that the club that owns a footballer prevents the club to which he is on loan from being able to field him on the day that both teams face each other. They don’t accept it in all competitions. FIFA banned them in 2014 and stated this in the Regulations on the Status and Transfers of Players. Xavi is absolutely in favor of their implementation. “A player of ours can never go against us. Look what happened to Atlético de Madrid with JoãoFélix who scored against them,” he recalled. “I would give it to Eric Garcia of course. He doesn’t have it because his loan was closed at the last minute and it wasn’t possible. I’m not upset about it. He’s doing very well and against Barça he will be extra motivated to show his best version. But “It is not the same to play for Barça as for Girona. The pressure is different,” he highlighted.
Less of a protagonist is Oriol Romeu, a midfielder from Girona and the only signing that Barcelona paid for in the market last summer. The rest – Iñigo Martínez, Gündogan, Cancelo, João Felix, arrived free or on loan. “I would tell Oriol Romeu and those who play less not to give up. They must continue working. I always use Iñaki Peña as an example, who has trained like a professional and has been brilliant when he has had his opportunity,” explained Xavi who, with the level that Peña has, he also ruled out the club going to the winter market in search of a goalkeeper to occupy the second place. “We trust in the goalkeeper roster. We have confidence and we believe that it will be able to recover soon. We trust in Iñaki Peña who is doing very well and in the goalkeepers we have at home. There is no option in this sense of signing anyone,” he said. .
Two players on loan to Barcelona such as João Félix and João Cancelo do have a leading role – and a lot -. “If the president says that we have to sign them, then that goes to mass,” said the Barça coach smiling when asked about Joan Laporta’s statements from Dubai pointing out that the club is working to incorporate both. “The Joãos are well, happy, they have adapted quickly and of course I would like to have them. All parties are clear about it but there is a negotiation that does not concern me,” he added.
And speaking of signings. A Girona player confessed this week in an interview with Movistar that he would like to play for Barça. He is not just any footballer. He is the captain of the team, a tireless midfielder, an undisputed starter who this year at 26 years old has even earned his first call-up with the Spanish team. He is Aleix Garcia and because of who he is and what he represents, his words did not sit well with Montilivi. Xavi added more fuel to the matter: “He is a footballer that I like a lot. He has gone to the national team, he is having a great season. His changes of orientation are spectacular. He has a high level and said that he wanted to play here. You have to understand him. “Who wouldn’t like to play for a big team? I value it a lot.”
Barcelona faces this match with significant losses in defense. Beyond Ter Stegen, who underwent surgery this week for a herniated disc, Xavi lost Iñigo Martínez in the warm-up prior to the game against Atlético de Madrid, who will not return until January with a femoral biceps injury. Marcos Alonso was no longer called up for that match with back problems. To reinforce the central roster, Xavi has chosen the young Pau Cubarsí. “He has a lot of ability, he is aggressive, he reads tactically well. He is young but I see him prepared if we need him,” explained Xavi.
Injuries are too prominent in the Blaugrana club in all sections. The last one was that of the soccer player Mapi León, who tore the meniscus in her right knee. “We are having bad luck,” Xavi pointed out more seriously. “But if you analyze it, it also happens to the rest of the teams. There are 5 or 6 injured players in most of the big teams in Europe,” he said.
