Xavi has held a press conference ahead of the home match tomorrow afternoon against the promoted Deportivo Alavés. Here he emphasized the importance of the team regaining its game after two bad games in a row.
‘We are looking forward to showing good football after we have played a few bad games. As always, we will dominate the game and be better than our opponent. We have to rediscover our identity and improve our positional play, which we have been working on all season,’ he began.
Here’s what Xavi also said:
Changes to the team against Alavés:
‘I think it’s time to change things a bit and find alternatives. It is time for the coach to react, but we are not going to invent anything new. We have to rediscover our own game concept’.
The players have seemed discouraged:
‘I think that we have been mentally blocked because we have not been positioned as the field as we usually are. I think it has been more of a football problem than a mental one. The atmosphere in the dressing room is good. The effort is never lacking and players still want to win titles and lift trophies’.
What does President Laporta say about the development?
‘We talk after every game. I am very positive, but he is one of the few people who surpasses me. He takes it completely easy and has full confidence in the team’.
Where are Pedri and Frenkie de Jong?
‘Frenkie will be ready for the match against Rayo (In two weeks, ed.). Pedri is 100% ready’.
Is this Xavi’s biggest crisis as a coach?
‘No, no way. I had the worst time last year. This is nothing. It is not a crisis at all. We have played two bad games. I have experienced a terrible crisis before, but this is not it’.
How does the criticism affect Xavi?
‘It’s been like this my whole life. You get used to it. This is Barca and you have to accept criticism. We have to be honest and admit that we have played two bad games. We haven’t been good enough’.
Is Xavi too soft as a coach?
‘If there’s a need to shout, I’ll shout, but I’m not the type to shout. I’d rather convince the players and give ideas. I have neither a hard hand nor a soft hand’.
Lewandowski’s achievements:
‘We have to play better football and he is also affected by our lack of positional play. He has not been given the balls to work with as he should. He has hardly come to chances. It’s about our positional play’.
Baldes missed selection for Spain:
‘That is a question for the national coach. We really appreciate Balde. He is doing well, but also needs to improve, like the rest of the team. He works well in defense and in attack. I am very happy for him’.
