The transfer market is finally over. A smiling Xavi Hernández breathes easy, who already has the squad he wanted and with whom he will try to compete for all the titles, although he slipped that "some player has been missing", most likely thinking of Bernardo Silva or César Azpilicueta, first option for the right side. "The truth is that I am liberated. Because of the exits and entrances. The club has done a titanic job. Now we have to show it on the pitch. I think it could be a great year. Football and the ball will dictate the sentence. The pressure is for me, but the 'template' is for Barça", he warned.
Since he came to the bench in November last year, Xavi has always brought with him the pressure of being a Barça coach. It is like a complement without which he cannot leave the house. "If you lose you can't go out," he joked. But he does not forget something that is just as or more necessary. His competitiveness and the feeling of him. "The pressure is for me but the squad is for Barça. I will work my ass off to make this work. And the day I see that I am a problem, I will leave," he slipped.
He already showed it in 2015 when he rejected an offer to renew for three more years. He felt that his cycle was already over. "It costs a lot. It is not easy to say that it is time. It is the law of life. Unfortunately, it will happen to all of us" she pointed out with a reflective tone.
Due to their age and above all due to the revolution that has taken place in the squad this summer, reinforcing all positions, the case of Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba is especially delicate. About the former, Xavi stressed that "this week he has had a great training session. I see it well. Now there is a lot of debate with the captains. I mean that they help, regardless of whether they play or not. The commitment is impeccable, there will be no problem".
More delicate seems to be the case of Jordi Alba, for whom an offer came from Inter Milan to leave on loan. The club sounded him out but the captain, angry, rejected the proposal. "I love Jordi here. I have a lot of affinity with him, he is a leader who is going to help us a lot. I have never thought that he would leave the club. There will be moments for everyone. Here we work by meritocracy", stressed Xavi.
The side from L'Hospitalet will have competition with a growing Alejandro Balde and with the arrival of Marcos Alonso, pending registration. Xavi hopes to be able to count on him soon and also on the new and only natural right-back in the squad. This is Hector Bellerin. "We are convinced that the two of them will help us a lot. I wanted pure full-backs and the one that was most urgent was the right-back. Bellerín is a great professional, I have heard very good things about him and his adaptation in the changing rooms. Marcos Alonso is a contracted, mature and versatile player. He has a lot of experience, he comes from the Premier League. The club has made an effort to bring them and they have also made an effort to come," he said.
Xavi also had words for those who have left. He was especially affectionate with Aubameyang. "They have all been professionals. But yes, Auba's departure makes me sad. He has helped us a lot. He has been an example, he has made a difference and as a person he is a treasure. But it was an opportunity for him and for the club. fit pieces together," he said.
The first date after the transfer market leads Xavi's Barça to Sánchez Pizjuán. Lopetegui's Sevilla have not started the season in the best possible way with only one point out of a possible nine in their locker. "It's a misleading result, I think Sevilla deserved more. Their level of activation will be aggressive, intense and the Sánchez-Pizjuán is a stadium that squeezes. We have to show our best version because it's an important litmus test," he warned.
