The last classic has not been one more game. The 0-1 at the Bernabeu has not left anyone indifferent. Barça's triumph has raised blisters, because of the who and the how. The game that was seen will not be forgotten Hence, all the debate generated. All the post-match noise, Xavi believes, which proves him right. “There has been a stir. That's why I say that Barça is the most difficult club in the world: you beat Real Madrid 0-1 and it's not convincing. It's not just worth winning. At Barça you have to win and convince, create 17 chances and the opponent who doesn't do any. If it had been the other way around, it would be a national holiday”, Xavi explained the requirement at Can Barça and the two yardsticks.
"Now that you buy it for me? I already said it last year and hosts fell on me like a piano. At Barça you have to win and convince, and that is our objective", he made it clear. But he went on explaining his reasoning. “When you go hand in hand there is no free man. Before, only Rayo de Paco Jémez did it. It is absurd to talk about possession when the man is pressured. We do not stand in the area. Madrid put us in the low block, not us. We don't lock ourselves up. But he is the current champion of the League and the Champions League, ”he recalled.
For Xavi, style is non-negotiable and it will continue to be so on this "transatlantic" that is Barcelona in his words. “Only in two games that I can remember since I was the coach have we not had control of the ball. Doing analysis for a party seems exaggerated to me ”. And he confirmed that he prefers other types of parties. "I was more satisfied in the Super Cup than in the Cup semifinal. That is the reality," he compared.
The man from Egar insists that it was not the plan prepared or foreseen by the Blaugrana coaching staff. “Madrid squeezed us, demanded of us and submitted us. It is not our goal, but it can happen in big games. We are not looking for 36% possessions but 70 or 80%. We were extraordinary in defense and we have to congratulate ourselves on that, because we dominated the game without the ball. But it is not the scenario we are looking for, ”he settled.
Barcelona, which receives Valencia de Baraja, wants to transfer the blow from the Cup to the League to forget the defeat in Almería. “We already failed last week. We cannot make more mistakes like the one in Almería, ”he warned his players. “They risk their lives. It will be difficult”, I predict.
In fact, already out of the Europa League, the coach, who recovers Christensen, will not make rotations despite the physical wear and tear he is wearing in 2023, beyond Gavi's suspension due to suspension. The Andalusian interior will not be the only one who will miss the game due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Xavi also saw the fifth in Almería which will deprive him of sitting on the bench.
“We will see where I can be. I imagine that in a box, calmer. And if it can be a little high, that football looks better. But the rest will be all normal, same arrival time, same approach… ”, he explained about his absence.
