The environment and Xavi do not see things the same. “The environment lacks positivity, a lot of it. But I already counteract it. I suppose it's because of history, because we are Catalans... Yes, we have Betis – this Sunday at Villamarín in the League – and Athletic – on Wednesday in the Cup. Well yes, but I see it as an opportunity. There is a lack of positivity,” says the coach in the midst of a season marked by irregularity and a poor image. However, Xavi's coaching staff hopes that in the second round of the League, in addition to the Cup and Champions League qualifiers, a different, more reliable and, above all, more recognizable team will be seen.
There is a point that makes the coach more optimistic about recovering good feelings and essences: he will be able to regularly use the De Jong-Gündogan-Pedri triangle, something that has not happened fluidly.
The Dutchman, the German and the Canarian have barely coincided in the eleven on seven occasions. This afternoon may be the eighth, when in the preseason it seemed that they were going to be the most used midfield, along with Gavi, who was seriously injured in November.
The dream helm must lead Barcelona to success, to have control, create more danger and above all to be consistent in the game. One would think that a Xavi team with the talent of Pedri at the wheel, a brain trained at Ajax and the captain of Guardiola's City who won the treble would play better but Xavi has only been able to enjoy them in dribs and drabs, 25% of the minutes. of this course (648).
“We have rarely had them together, unfortunately,” lamented the man from Egara. It is one of the factors why the team has not found a cruising pace. That must change. Now they have played three matches together: half an hour in the Super Cup semi-final, an hour in the Riyadh classic and 29 minutes in Salamanca.
“Surely, it has affected us, more than the results, the game. We have been winning the games despite not playing the way we want, but it has affected our continuity,” reasoned the coach, who gives great importance to preparation. “Because the identity in football is marked by the midfielders, at least that's how I think,” explained Xavi, who recognizes that he gets frustrated when what he has to do on the field is not done because he sees the solution clearly. “I am referring to the last pass, to choosing well… I despair because I see the pass, which was my specialty, and I see that it does not happen,” he confessed of his suffering on the bench.
With Frenkie de Jong he has been able to find a position – the base of the square – to get the most out of his driving. The 26-year-old Dutchman reached 200 games in the Cup as a Barcelona player, something that Eto'o did not achieve, who was just one away. But the tulip, who is the third most accomplished in the club after Ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto, has not yet shown himself to be decisive (16 goals). It is his fifth year and he has only won one Cup, one Super Cup and one League. He hopes to expand his record this year. “One game does not mark the entire season,” he says about the Super Cup catastrophe. There are still three titles to be played. We have a template. I think we can still fight for the League,” the Dutchman predicted to the club's media.
At his side, Pedri will reach his 100th game as a starter while Gündogan has not yet missed a game.
The injuries that have greatly bothered the engine room are now concentrated in Barcelona's defense. In addition to Ter Stegen, his starting goalkeeper, Xavi cannot count on Iñigo Martínez and Marcos Alonso, he has not yet recovered Cancelo and adds Christensen to the infirmary after having to be substituted in Salamanca at half-time. But with the dream helm the Blaugrana horizon looks clearer.
