Xavi has always defined himself as an optimistic person. He has been since he came to the Barcelona bench. And he continues to be after the elimination in the Europa League. The Blaugrana coach is clear that the best way to forget the defeat at Old Trafford is to focus on the possibility of winning titles this season. In the League he is the leader with a solid advantage. In the Cup he is in the semifinals. “Whenever they win the League, the season is good in the big clubs. We have the illusion of achieving success. Winning the League and the Cup would be a very, very good season, ”he predicted.
That is the message that the coach has transmitted to the squad. "This follows. The biggest disappointment was the loss in the Champions League. This one hurts too. But we have the League and the Cup. We want to finish well. We already have the Super Cup in our pocket. It bothers us to lose because we are a big club. But forward. There are things to compete for, ”he encouraged the troops.
Despite the premature goodbye in Europe, Xavi has no reproaches to his team, earthy again. “We have to be proud of how we set up the game. United are in excellent form. It can happen, ”he explained, since he is convinced that the result could have been different. “If we had gone through the same game, it would be said that Barça has returned. We had to live the face of defeat. He competed and gave his face. You are more sensationalists. We accept the criticism and we start working to turn the tables”.
That happens by winning at the Power Horse Stadium against Rubi's Almería this Sunday. That is his priority, and not the classic cupbearer against Madrid. “People cannot be aware of Thursday's game. We have to be focused on Almería. We will think about the Cup semifinal starting Monday, ”he prescribed.
The coach confirmed that Ansu Fati is out of the League and discovered that Dembélé, who will miss his seventh game after injury in Girona, is quite recovered. "Dembele is very good. He is already with the recoverers. He's not 100% but he's relatively close to getting back with the group. We can't force him. But the important thing is that he has good feelings, ”he revealed. In addition, he recovers Gavi, absent due to suspension at Old Trafford.
Finally, Xavi got wet in reference to some celebrations, such as Garnacho's (imitating Pedri) or Vinícius's (with dances). “It is difficult to answer. The player, when he scores, is so happy that many times anger comes out, injustices... Everyone does what they want but there is a need for a little empathy. The best thing is always to celebrate with your colleagues, without anything being interpreted as a provocation. Sometimes you need a little empathy, ”he reasoned.
