to sweat The break is over and it's time to move from words to deeds. It's time to show that you want to win at Barcelona and win titles this season. You have to put all the wood on the fire, there is no time for hiding or speculating. Barcelona returned to training yesterday after the break for the Christmas holidays with the clear aim of fighting to the end for the four titles.
Xavi made things clear on the night of Almeria. The technician understood everything. But it remains to be seen if the message has been internalized correctly and has had the desired effect in the dressing room. In January, in which three competitions are combined (League, Cup and Super Cup), it will be necessary to take the step forward that the coach claimed.
One of the challenges that Xavi proposed to the squad to spur them on was to have one more day of Christmas holidays if they beat Porto and Atlético de Madrid at the beginning of December. Since the players succeeded (2-1 and 1-0, both in Montjuïc), they returned to work yesterday and not on December 28.
The Barcelona players have been able to recharge their batteries because there are hardly any free weeks until the end of the season. They will not link again nine days without an official match, perhaps until the end of March, when FIFA will make the repechage to enter next summer's European Championship. Decisive days are coming, starting with the visit to the Estadi Insular de Las Palmas on January 4, which will close the first round of the League.
Nadal has brought Barça a long-awaited gift in the form of a new striker. Vitor Roque was received by Xavi in the office of the coaching staff. "Before signing [in July 2023], Deco and Xavi spoke to me. Xavi didn't speak to me like a technician, but also like a friend who is willing to help", revealed the striker, who finally met him in person yesterday.
Afterwards, the young Brazilian, shy and humble, aged 18, went down to the dressing room and greeted the new teammates one by one: Ferran Torres, Sergi Roberto, De Jong, Araújo, Iñaki Peña... Also Lewandowski, a new like him, and of the best scorers of the last decade, and Raphinha, his compatriot, sitting in the canarinha. They are the two players with whom the former Athletico Paranaense player is most excited to play.
Afterwards, Vitor Roque dressed in shorts to jump onto the turf of the Tito Vilanova field and complete the first session as a Blaugrana player. Before he had to go through the traditional corridor of clapboards.
Little by little, the technicians will see the qualities of the new reinforcement. Meanwhile, he defines himself as follows: "I'm a fighter, I fight for all the balls, I don't give any for lost, and I try to score as many goals as possible", he explained to the official media, in front of which he also showed that he knows the level of demand that awaits him in Barcelona. "It's a big, perfect club. The only option he has is to win, win and win", he reflected. Although he is clear which trophy he prefers: "My dream is to win the Champions League, this is my biggest dream".
To face the challenge of the huge jump from Brazil, where he was an idol at Athletico Paranaense, to Barcelona, in a dressing room full of crackers, Vitor Roque knows that physical form will be as important as mentality. That is why the psychological part has been working for a long time. "I have prepared with my coach. I have spoken with him every day to arrive ready in Barcelona".
In addition to Pedri and Iñigo Martínez, who remain in doubt for the Arab Super Cup (from January 10 to 14), Marcos Alonso, who is not available due to back pain, did not train either. . The discomfort persists and the defender, who has not played since November 7 against Shakhtar, has decided to undergo surgery to fully recover, the same decision Ter Stegen made. The goalkeeper underwent surgery in France on December 8. The time off is close to two months since the intervention. At the moment, Xavi does not recover any injured money. The novelty is called Vitor Roque and he comes from Brazil. Now he sighs for a midfielder.
