A lot has been said about Xavi Hernandez’s capabilities as the coach of FC Barcelona. Having arrived at the club with only a stint at Al Sadd under his belt, the Spaniard quickly fell prey to criticism.
All that changed with Barcelona’s win on Sunday night. Going up against Real Madrid, the Catalans dished out a special performance that saw them annihilate the European Champions by a scoreline of 3-1.
The win brings home Xavi’s first trophy as the manager of the club of his dreams and eases the pressure on his shoulders. More importantly, it will help springboard the Blaugrana’s campaign in other competitions and boost the team’s morale.
Xavi spoke to the press after his team’s masterclass and spoke at length about the positive takeaways. Here are the snippets from his press conference.
On what the win meant to him: “I am so happy. I care a lot about how we win. It’s important to win, but we need to think about how we did it. We dominated them from start to finish. That was our plan with four midfielders, and it worked so well. I’m so happy for the players.”
On the win as a liberating force: “This squad has received a lot of unfair criticism, and today many players have set themselves free. They will work more calmly.”
On Gavi: “Gavi is spectacular. He can never stop growing, we all know that.”
On the team’s transition period: “These years have been so tough, with our financial difficulties, Messi’s departure… It’s not easy to bring back a positive dynamic, but I am sure that these players can do that.”
On his players: “It’s so important that players believe in themselves. Today, it was clear from the first minute that the team knew that our game plan would work.”
On a fresh start: “I’ve been here for so many years and I know how much players suffer when things don’t go well. Today is the start of a new positive dynamic.”
On the upcoming games: “We can’t relax now.”
On Joan Laporta: “With Laporta we’re friends. He has given me complete confidence in this project, and I know how hard that is. I’m very happy for him.”
On the key to the win: “Today, we won because we were superior in the midfield.”
On the difficult schedule: “This doesn’t stop here. We have a long road ahead, and our next matches are very complicated.”
On the performance: “We’re on the right track. We were having fun on the pitch.”
On the visible difference in quality: “I am so happy with what my players have done. This title is the result of what we have been working on.”
Source: BarçaTV+
