Xavi’s press conference ahead of Barcelona’s LaLiga game against Real Betis

It’s becoming tough to say what’s wrong with Barcelona. Why are they 4th in LaLiga? Why did they huff and puff past a third tier side like a 90-year-old marathon runner? What excuse is left in the book for Xavi to use next?

It may seem like a tongue-in-cheek line, but the manager has used the referee, his players, the opposition, the stadium, the grass, the sun (yes, really) and just about everything else to explain why it looks like his footballers play with jeans on, home or away. Now, with the Super Cup final existing in the past and faster-than-light time travel not yet invented, it’s down to Xavi to focus on the future and what’s coming up next: a trip to Real Betis in LaLiga (Jan 21 at 12.30 p.m. ET / 9.30 a.m. PT.).

“It’s a tough one”, opened Xavi, “they’ve gone a long time unbeaten at home. We are starting the second half of the season with a lot of excitement. Girona and Madrid are ahead but I think we can catch them. [Betis] let you play and this is good for us.”

Xavi was immediately asked about the distance between what he wants from the team and what he gets. “We have to play well” and “The results will come with the play” have been Xavi’s catchphrases this season, leading to some to ask if his skills at convincing players are up to the task. “Sometimes we are good at the high press, also in defence”, he said, before saying his side were “excellent” at “the final pass”.

‘I see the pass but what I think should happen doesn’t happen’

Then, out of nowhere but oh, so obvious, came the line that perhaps sums up Xavi’s time so far as manager of FC Barcelona: “I lose my patience because I see the pass but what I think should happen doesn’t happen.”

The upcoming days, Xavi said, will mark out what comes of the season, “but it could happen in a positive way... Betis is a very tough opponent.”

“The message doesn’t change”, he added, “I want them to try, to play football well. It would be good to be at the level we were at against Betis at home, against Porto. The message is to be calm and compete. We can fight for everything.”

In terms of injuries for the game, the coach said that there were “niggling issues and fatigue” in his squad, and that he “needs all players available. Let’s see if we get players back.”

“Injuries always reduce a squad, but it’s not a worry. I’m more worried about improving the play. Injuries are part of football. It’s part of the calendar and the demands of the competition.”

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Concentration ‘should be a basic requirement’

As for Cancelo, Xavi said it would be “difficult” to see him back against Betis but for the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Athletic, he was “optimistic”. Vitor Roque is another player who has seen his minutes limited, with his time on the pitch coming only in short bursts from the bench. “He was very good the other day”, Xavi said, “he is one hundred percent and it depends on us to make him play. He can bring us things”.

On what’s fundamentally gone wrong at Montjuïc, Xavi said that Barça “have given away a lot defensively. We have conceded a lot and we have been ineffective up front. We lost a lot of balls and didn’t stop too many counterattacks” before being asked about De Jong, who said that there was also a lack of concentration. “It should be a basic requirement, yes”, he replied. “These values can never be lacking. This is non-negotiable. We must improve, I’m with Frenkie”.

Against Unionistas, a game in which Barcelona went behind in the first half, it was Ferran Torres who drew level. “He’s a mentally strong footballer”, Xavi labelled the ex-Manchester City man, “you need that to play for Barça. Sometimes they make you feel small or that you’re not worth it. This is Barça.... He embodies what a Barça player should be.”

‘Catalans, the club and history are sufferers’

As for the Betis tie, there are, as the journalist questioning Xavi pointed out, a solid amount of current verdiblanco players who once wore the blaugrana of Barcelona. “They’re motivated”, Xavi responded, “you always find your exes everywhere. They’re motivated and that must help us to stop them.”

Positivity is what “lacks most” at Barcelona, as “Catalans, the club and history are sufferers. Having been a footballer makes me calmer. We accept the level of demand but we lack positivity. The other day we had 13 youth players. We’re constructing something and that’s why [the press] have killed me. We will fight and try. Failure would be not trying.”

Barcelona play Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on Sunday 21 January. The game is set to kick off at 12.30 p.m. ET / 9.30 a.m. PT. You can follow live text coverage of the tie on AS USA.