Barcelona coach Xavi: “I don’t want to make many changes to the roster”
The coach claims to feel “very satisfied” with the current squad, so he doesn’t expect many changes in the winter transfer window and less for fair play.
Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández took part in an extensive interview for Barça TV and covered a wide range of issues, including how LaLiga is the club’s “top priority” and the minimum expectation between now and the end of the season is to win a trophy.
Here are the best bits, which cover everything from departed defender Gerard Piqué to the Barcelona derby with which they’ll resume their league campaign on 31 December.
Qatar 2022 World Cup: “It was very even, with most teams focused on getting results at all costs, with the exception of Spain and Brazil. Morocco’s performance was a surprise, as were the early exits of Germany, Spain and Brazil. It was too defensive for my liking”.
Challenges: “We are in a good place football-wise. We’ve improved our roster. Our goal is to win trophies. We’ve put together a great squad, partly with the help of the financial levers. But we’re also like a big family. We’re disappointed about being knocked out of the Champions League”.
Disappointments: “We have to be self-critical. We didn’t do well in the Champions League. It’s true that some refereeing decisions and injuries didn’t help us, but we failed because we had to reach the round of 16 at the very least. But I have high hopes of winning LaLiga. That’s our priority. Internally, it would give us a lot of peace of mind. I feel as if we’ve been true to ourselves and our ideas”.
LaLiga leadership: “We can’t afford to surrender our lead. We can’t let this chance slip away. We have to keep a close eye on Real Madrid below us. Winning this title would give our project a huge confidence boost.”
Champions League struggles: “We lacked a bit of maturity. We could’ve killed Bayern off in the first half (in Munich) and we should’ve drawn at worst in Milan (against Inter). It was hugely disappointing.”
Europa League prospects: “We want to go as far as we can. If we make it to the semi-finals, I’m sure that Barcelona fans will be desperate for us to win the competition.”
Gerard Piqué's departure: “He’s a shining example of how to lead and how to behave. It’s been complicated because we’re friends, as is the case with Dani Alves. It’s one of the toughest things about being a coach. We now have four central defenders, in addition to Marcos Alonso and Frenkie de Jong.”
The January transfer market: “I have told (Director of Football Mateu) Alemany that I don’t want to make many changes to the roster, we’re creating a family here. I can see the players’ hunger in training. We’ll see what happens with (financial) fair play.”
Robert Lewandowski: “I’m surprised by how humble he is. He’s the leader we were looking for, we didn’t expect to be able to get him. I think his upcoming suspension is unfair. He’ll miss three games but we have other options.”
Ousmane Dembélé: “He the difference-maker in a lot of games. He’s a special player, especially for the way we play. We’re trying to help him with his decision-making but it’s not always easy. It’s difficult to play at 200 miles an hour. But he’s never let me down and I really love him as a player.”
Ansu Fati: “He’s gone through some tough times but he’s much better now. He’s going to be a key player for us going forward. If Luis Enrique called him up for the World Cup, it’s for good reason, because Lucho didn’t hand out caps to just anyone. He works hard and has a good attitude. The next six months will be key for him”.
Pedri and Gavi: “When we were 20, Iniesta and I weren’t at the level these two are at. We have to help them grow and keep improving. They have unbelievable talent.”
Alejandro Balde: “He has so much potential, both physically and technically. He’ll play at full-back for Barça for the next 10 or 15 years. He’s already played in the World Cup.”
The Future: “Being a coach is a rollercoaster of emotions. I try to disconnect from it but it’s not easy. Emotionally, you have to be very balanced. It can really get to you when things go badly, especially if you’re a Barça fan. You have to be mentally strong. Everyone at the club seems to be excited and happy. That motivates me even more. Obviously, everything depends on whether the ball goes in or not, but the fans are behind us. We have to thank them for that”.
The style of play: “If people respect and rate us then it’s because of the way we play. We’ve won five Champions Leagues playing like this, and a World Cup. You have to have a plan B and C, but you can’t ever lose your DNA. The main thing is for people to go home happy and if it’s also because we’ve won, then all the better”.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta: “He gives us the courage and confidence to keep our project moving along. And now more than ever. We’re very proud to have a president like that.”
The derby against Espanyol: “It’s a good game to begin with in terms of motivation. It’s important for us to start well. We need to pick up from where we left off in terms of our mentality, showing the same team spirit as we did in Pamplona.”