Xavi Hernández wanted to be “self-critical” after Barça’s long-suffering victory against Valencia, which, however, leaves the Blaugrana with ten points of rent over Real Madrid waiting for the Whites’ game against Betis. The Barcelona coach praised the “good numbers” but acknowledged that they must “improve”.
“We lack understanding of the game. Sometimes we make a pass back when it is a pass forward. Balde had to understand that he was the free man. The passer cannot find him. The game model has not turned out as well as other times. We arrived in In general, the games are fair. There is fatigue. Although if we scored the second goal I think the team would have let go”, the man from Terrassa analyzed the three points achieved against the Che in inferiority due to the red card against Araújo in minute 59. One One of the players who arrives fairest at this stage of the season is Frenkie de Jong, substituted at half-time due to “precaution” due to “hamstring discomfort”
Xavi assured that it was “a shame” to have missed the penalty “because perhaps it would have been a comfortable victory”. “We complicate ourselves (…) The effectiveness is lacking. “It is time to suffer with casualties. We are knowing how to suffer and that makes us grow”, explained the man from Egar, who wanted to make up for the bad feelings shown by his team: “The numbers are very good, but we have to improve”.
Despite ending up unhappy with how the victory was forged, he again praised “the attitude and generosity”, that “everyone runs and makes an effort”. “It’s very important, it’s one of the bases since we arrived,” he said about his pupils, in addition to removing the iron from the penalty shooter, which was decided in favor of Ferran Torres, who finally missed it, and to the detriment of Ansu Fati. “There is an order, but they were clear about it. There is a manager but the second may be more confident. They have to talk to each other, but it doesn’t matter much,” he explained.
In the absence of Pedri and Gavi, Barça once again bet on two wingers, a model that according to Xavi allows them to “generate more chances”, while when they bet on four midfielders they have more “neatness in the game and fewer losses”. “Both alternatives are good,” he said.
The Catalan, penalized for accumulating cards, watched the game from the top of the stadium, where “it’s really bad”, and surprised by assuring that being a Barça coach is “ungrateful and unpleasant”: “They judge you daily. You have the feeling that you fail people. I’ve always been mentally strong. I’ll try to make the culé always proud”.
Xavi wanted to turn the page on a week in which Barça emerged victorious at the Bernabéu and against Valencia: “This week will go well for us to get people back. We have to improve in construction, in better understanding the attacking game.” The blaugrana’s next rival will be Athletic in San Mamés next weekend.
