Xavi: "If titles are not won, another coach will come"

"Really.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
19 October 2022 Wednesday 08:32
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Xavi: "If titles are not won, another coach will come"

"Really. I'm very positive. I'm not kidding you. Nothing will stop me. I'll keep working to turn things around and give it my all. I'll work even harder to convey to the players that the goal is still to win titles. We're in October and this is long ". More recovered after the defeat at the Bernabeu and the European disappointment and more smiling than in the last press conferences, Xavi Hernández returns to play at home with his words and gestures. Also his team that faces Villareal tomorrow (9:00 p.m.), the best medicine to try to reverse the situation. "Everyone encourages me, it seems that a relative has died with all the messages I have received. There are times when it seems that a relative has died," he joked.

For Xavi, patience with his project and winning titles are not at odds. Less after the seven reinforcements that have arrived this course. "At Barça there are no transition seasons. I must be honest with the club, the players and the partners. We have made a team to achieve success and I think of it that way", he stressed.

What if he doesn't get it? "Well, there will be consequences as the president said and perhaps they are for me. I don't want to look for excuses. If titles are not won, another coach will come and they will try without further ado. Now we have to continue and face reality. Barça is to win and achieve titles", insisted the coach from Egar without stopping smiling. He is convinced that he will be able to turn the situation around.

The first stop to achieve this is once again the Camp Nou against Villarreal. "After the defeat in the classic we play again at home. We have to be positive and train well. It's the best way to change the dynamic. We have to add the three points" said Xavi who announced rotations to refresh the team. "There are people with accumulated fatigue. There was an extraordinary effort against Inter and at the Bernabeu as well. We make three or four minimum changes in each game".

One of them can be Ansu Fati. "I see him very well, very fit," he said of the striker who was one of the few positive notes for Barcelona in the classic, just like Ferran Torres. Xavi also did not rule out that Frenkie de Jong could play in the position of Busquets, signaled in the defeat of Bernebeu. "Busquets continues to be important. There will be games in which he plays less or does not play but he will continue to be vital. There is a good atmosphere and positivity," said the coach.

His degree of protection with the captains compared to last year has decreased considerably. Even with Sergio Busquets, cataloged as essential. "His contract ends this year and it is a reality and we will see what happens throughout the season, how he feels and what performance he has. It is a very personal decision of his. I also left him despite have an offer to renew. It's true that we don't have a natural replacement. Nico and Pjanic decided to leave. We have options: Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessié) or try a central defender, which wouldn't be the most recommendable."

On the other hand, he did want to protect another captain in the shadows. The center-back Eric Garcia whose contract with Barça runs until 2026. "Eric Garcia is an extraordinary footballer, a professional who always adds up and trains well. He brings us a lot and I value him a lot. Football is a game of mistakes and he is exposed like everyone else ", he stressed.

Despite the defeat in the classic at the Bernabeu and the disappointment in Europe, Xavi considers that he still has a good squad. Or template, as he said at the beginning of the season. "The reinforcements are good. I think the planning has been correct." And the winter market? Well, we'll see, "he warned. At the moment, Villarreal. He recovers the right back Héctor Bellerín, who has received a medical discharge, for the cause.