Despite the fact that he is the current League champion, the king of Cups with 31 trophies and who is classified for the last eight of the Champions League, for Barcelona the Cup match against Unionistas de Salamanca, a 1st RFEF team, has acquired a unusual dimension. The humiliation inflicted on Sunday and the image given by the team have affected the morale of Barça fans and have implied the feeling that Barça and the Xavi project can be played on any stage, including the Reina Sofía stadium. Laporta appeared in training to harangue the squad, and the coach, far from triumphalism, sent a hopeful but also raw message.
The cards on the table, exposed. Things by name. Clear as water. Xavi Hernández did an exercise in sincerity in front of the press after the hard slap in the Super Cup against Real Madrid. The coach spoke bluntly and was very direct about his future and the goals that the club demands of him this season: winning titles. "I am here because the objectives have been met so far. The moment they are not fulfilled, I will go home", he clarified, like an open book.
In fact, Xavi went even further when he admitted that if he hadn't won the League last season, "I wouldn't be here anymore". That simple. This is the reality and this is the pressure that the club has on its shoulders for the next four and a half months. Born in Barcelona, second player with the most games in the Barça shirt and one of the best midfielders in history, he is playing for the position despite having renewed in September until 2025. "I am no different from any coach", he pointed out in order not to dramatize.
Xavi recalled that, until now, he has always more than fulfilled the goals set. And he explained it very graphically, going back to November 2021. "When they come to Qatar, they sign me to finish fourth and we finish second. Last year the goal was to win the League. And he won, in addition to the Super Cup. We were above expectations. This year the goal was titles, especially the important ones: Cup, League or Champions. For now, the Super Cup has been lost. I think we are much closer to success than defeat. We are on the road to success", he argued. "So far we have been successful, in the first and in the second season", he added.
In the course of the two years in which he has been on the bench, he has gone from talking about the game, from dreaming and looking for excellence to embracing pragmatism and the result, until signing to win by 1 -0.
Laporta's Barcelona, due to its economic situation, needs the ball to go in to turn the wheel, for the numbers to come out, to escape from the shadows. That's why you can't afford not to be competitive. "You must always find a way to compete. It will be hard and it is. We are in one of the most difficult situations in the history of the club. It is what we all have to understand in the environment. I have encountered difficulties since the first day and still we are competing. The objectives are intact", insisted Xavi.
This is how the technician perceives reality. He neglected to say that in the standings he is 8 points behind Girona, that there are four games left in the Cup before the final and that it remains to be seen how the team fares in returning to the last eight of the Champions League. But Xavi only thinks about the option of ending the season well. "You have to cheer up, there are three titles left. Last year, after the Super Cup, Madrid were in our situation and they managed to reverse it and win a title, the Cup", he recalled.
"I think it is a moment to be calm and united", he claimed. In this he agreed with Laporta. "The president is always optimistic and has joy. He has given us faith and trust in the coaching staff and the players", he revealed about the president's visit. Xavi also thanked in private and in public the unconditional support that Guardiola sent him from The Best gala.
Only the suspended Araújo and Lamine Yamal are missing from the call-up for Salamanca. But who Barcelona miss a lot since he tore the ligaments in his knee is Gavi. "Because of his leadership, Gavi's injury has been a stab in the heart of the team. There is only one Gavi in the world. It is very difficult to replace it. Also Ter Stegen is one of the captains and is not there. Raphinha and Cancelo are two souls. They are not excuses, eh, it is a reality, like the economic situation", said Xavi, who hopes that the defensive concessions will end.
