“The idea is to continue until June 30 and then I will rest,” said a cautious Xavi Hernández yesterday. Without ruling out a minimum space for speculation. Without discarding a script twist that is always possible in this FC Barcelona that makes him change his mind. Although the League depends on others, the door to the Champions League remains open and, with it, the option for the season to end up being magnificent. Furthermore, Xavi says he is involved in planning the upcoming season “because I love this club and, in any situation where I can help, I will.”
Some, like sports vice president Rafa Yuste, would applaud his help and continuity. As happened before the match against Naples and before any event marked in red, Yuste returned yesterday to greet all the players and, of course, Xavi, in the last training session before traveling to Madrid to face Simeone's Atlético today. “It is a vital match. Like everyone we have left,” said Xavi, remembering that the option of winning the League is in other people's hands.
Even so, the match against the rojiblancos is marked as especially dangerous. For the sweet moment that Atlético is going through after achieving a place in the Champions League quarterfinals against Inter. And because it is played at the Metropolitano, a fortress where Simeone's men have only suffered a draw against Getafe in the League and a defeat in the Copa del Rey against Athletic. “But the last ones to win in that stadium were us last year,” Xavi recalled. He was referring to the last Atlético league defeat on January 8, 2023 (0-1), with a goal by Ousmane Dembélé, now in Luis Enrique's PSG and Barça's next rival in the Champions League. “It will be very difficult,” Xavi considered. for being the favorite French team for its economic capacity to sign what it wants, for the presence of Mbappé and of course for that of Luis Enrique. “He is a brilliant coach, I know him well,” praised Xavi.
Given the talent of footballers like Mbappé, Barcelona will respond with the fruits that Masia produces, represented by footballers like Pau Cubarsí or Lamine Yamal, both minors. “Perhaps Luis Enrique and his team see an inexperienced team, but we have regained our enthusiasm. In football and economically it was necessary,” stressed Xavi, who took the opportunity to congratulate Cubarsí for his first call-up with the senior Spanish team for the matches against Colombia and Brazil, the last test benches before the Euro Cup. The 17-year-old center back started this season with the under-17 team and will finish the course under Luis de la Fuente without going through either the under-19 or under-21 team. "He deserves it. Luis de la Fuente has also been brave calling him. Let's hope that the Pedri case is not repeated, but I cannot decide if he goes to the Olympic Games and also to the Euro Cup,” Xavi warned, recalling that the Canarian competed in both competitions in 2021. Until that date, Pedri had never been injured. The movie changed later.
There are two weeks of break and there are four left until the European event against PSG. Barcelona hopes to maintain the state of confidence and enthusiasm in which it finds itself. Same as Atlético's. The match will require “a lot of personality” from all the players, and in particular from João Félix in his first visit to the Metropolitano with the Barça shirt. “Personally, I liked to play on hostile fields to show what I'm worth. João Félix has all the characteristics to play a great game, he is extra motivated”, highlighted Xavi of the Portuguese winger, on loan from Atlético and who already scored in Montjuïc. His goal unbalanced the match and gave the Barça team three points in the Portuguese's best game with Barcelona to date.
