“There is always pressure here; this is Barcelona,” Xavi described in his pre-match press conference. “You have to be competitive and win.”
Xavi is pleased with his team’s effort to bounce back.
Xavi Hernandez has previewed Barcelona’s upcoming match against Athletic Club amid a backdrop of poor recent results. During a press conference held on Saturday afternoon, Xavi said that he will continue to rotate the eleven due to the fatigue of his players, as well as detailing how Barcelona are a club always under pressure. “There is always pressure here; this is Barcelona,” Xavi described in his pre-match press conference. “You have to be competitive and win. Tomorrow another great team arrives, they’re an intense and physical opponent, but we have to win again tomorrow.” In the midweek victory over Villarreal, Barcelona played to a much higher level than in their disappointing results against Inter and Real Madrid. Los Blancos may now hold the advantage in the title race, but Xavi was pleased with his team’s effort to bounce back.
Because of De Jong’s potential, Xavi see him more as an inside player
“This team has competed against everyone,” he explained. “If we look at the other day and make an analysis, there is no such thing as perfection, but we’re looking to get closer. I’m very satisfied; we did very well against Villarreal; we took risks and won duels. It was a great game from the defenders; Villarreal had only one and a half chances.” Whilst Frenkie de Jong hasn’t been anywhere close to an ever-present in 2022/23; the Spanish coach doesn’t believe he is at all a problem, despite reports linking him with a January transfer. “Because of his potential, I see him more as an inside player, although he is very good in defence,” he continued.
“I like him, and he has tremendous potential; he has to be important. I see that he is better when he is in front of the ball; we have to get him in those positions.”