FC BARCELONA
FC Barcelona midfielder Gavi “very frustrating”, says LaLiga opponent Gumbau
The “hyperactive” Barça midfielder was heavily criticised by his opponent after their 2-2 draw against Granada in LaLiga.
Granada earned a valuable point against Barcelona in a crazy game in which they went 2-0 up to the delight of the fans before almost losing towards the end. After the game, Gumbau, Granada’s centre-midfielder, spoke to Spanish media in which he criticised Gavi for his performance.
“You don’t know what it’s like playing against Gavi. He’s very frustrating. He’s a hyperactive player, he has that competitive gene and spirit that when you’re going for it he winds you up”, said the player.
Gumbau agrees with Ferran offside decision
After the final whistle, Barcelona, and especially Xavi, complained about the goal by João Félix that was ruled out for offside from Ferran, who was considered to be affecting play with his positioning. However, the Granada player did not agree: “João Félix’s goal being ruled out is correct for me”, he said, “Ferran influences the play, it’s minimal, but he does. It would annoy me massively if they chalked off that goal for us, that’s what I think, but for me it’s the right decision.
“At the start of the season”, he continued, “the referees told us that any interference and movement towards the ball, as much as their might be doubts, would be pulled up.”
‘You have to try and stop the game as much as you can’ against Barça
The midfielder said he saw Xavi’s side rattled and nervous when Granada went ahead: “Barcelona gave me the feeling that they weren’t comfortable going behind and with us getting at them. You have to be very precise and maybe they were a bit tired from the Champions League game the other day. When you’re up against teams like Barça you have to try and stop the game as much as you can, battle, make them feel uncomfortable. Planning the game with a high press and watching it work after 17 seconds is very rewarding.”
Gumbua was praiseworthy of his team’s performance and assured that they always wanted to play the same way, and that the early goal didn’t change anything: “the game plan would have been the same had we started off by losing. A 0-1 scoreline (to Barcelona) wouldn’t have been bad as they might have relaxed and in the end a dead ball or a single moment can change the outcome of a game”, he said.
