Xavi Hernández does not want the noise around the classic to distance him or distract him from his objective of preparing well for the match against Real Madrid on the pitch. So he celebrated that FC Barcelona manager Miquel Camps deleted the tweet in which he called Vinícius a “clown.” “He deleted the tweet, that already means something. I’ll stick with that. I don’t like anything that generates tension: neither the tweets nor the pressure to condition the referees,” he pointed out, making it clear that the messages are bidirectional.
The Terrassa coach does not plan to contribute to that. In his opinion, the party should have another profile, more calm and elegant. “We have to have a soccer classic and with fair play, with even mutual admiration,” he explained.
Looking ahead to Saturday, Barcelona will try to recover several players who are injured. For this, he considers the victory against Shakhtar and the 9 out of 9 in the Champions League important. “Now we will put this competition on hold. We have to recover, rest and disconnect to reach 100%,” he prescribed.
Lewandowski, Pedri, Raphinha and even De Jong will hurry up their options. Having someone would be a emotional blow. “It would be important for the group. On a physical and also mental level. It is a game to be at 100%. “Everyone will try themselves because everyone wants to play,” he said. Furthermore, Xavi was optimistic about João Félix, whom he had to replace in the second half. “It’s a strong blow to the hip, according to what they tell me. There will be no problem for him to be there on Saturday.”
Xavi regretted that Barcelona lacked effectiveness to comfortably resolve the match against Shakhtar and focused on the Ukrainians’ goal. “I am concerned about disconnections at a general level. We could have finished the game because Lamine Yamal and Cancelo had a shot. And instead we have conceded a counterattack,” he corrected.
Because it is precisely the type of action that should be avoided in the classic. “Our plan is to dominate the game with the ball. On Saturday it is essential not to lose the ball. In loss and transition is when Madrid can destroy you,” he warned.
