Barcelona manager Xavi has confirmed that Sporting Director Mateu Alemany will not leave the team at the end of the season, saying that while Jordi Cruyff will be missed, Alemany will stay.
“Mateu has told us that he wants to be here. Mateu is an extraordinary person, a beastly worker. He has brought order,” said the Barcelona manager during the pre-match conference ahead of his side’s home game against Real Sociedad (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“Jordi is leaving because he wanted challenges and we will miss him. A trustworthy and very valid person. Mateu stays, but we will see what happens tomorrow (laughs),” he added.
Despite sealing the La Liga title, the manager still wants more from his players. So when asked about what the fans can expect from the remaining games, he added,
“We are happy and proud. Tomorrow’s match is to be enjoyed by the fans. The fans needed to celebrate things. We want to finish the league with a good feeling, we still have objectives such as the top scorer, the team with the fewest goals conceded and clean sheets.”
Meanwhile, speaking about transfers, the manager confirmed that the team will want to sign a pivot in the summer now that Sergio Busquets has decided to call time on his Barcelona career.
“We must sign a pivot this summer, it’s a priority to have a new player there following Busquets’ exit.”
Interestingly enough, the player Xavi is a huge fan of will take the field against his men on Saturday. Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi is someone who is admired by Xavi, but given the cost of his operation, Barcelona are forced to look for options.
So when asked about the midfielder, the manager had nothing but admiration. “I consider Zubimendi as an extraordinary pivot, top player — he understands the game very well, he dominates with and without the ball.
“Zubimendi plays the kind of football that we like here at Barça, it’s our style,” added.
Before signing any new player, the Blaugrana must sanction heavy sales and Xavi confirmed that the team is working on it. “We are planning, but we still haven’t spoken to the players. We are moving, yes.”
“These four remaining games in La Liga will not condition the future of any player.”
Furthermore, the 43-year-old was also asked about his thoughts on Real Madrid’s defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
“For the Cules it must have been a joy, but as professionals, we give a lot of importance to La Liga. The value is not that Madrid lose, the value is to see the joy of the fans.”
“Man City were deserved winners in the semi-finals. For me, they are the best team in the world.”
Madrid’s exit from the Champions League means the team from the capital city would end their season with just one trophy. And when asked if he would swap Barça’s season for Madrid’s, he said,
“At the moment, I wouldn’t change the season we had for any other… We have to remember where we come from.”
“We’ve had a great season, there’s no need to compare with other clubs. Our standards are from the inside, with the efforts of the board. It is the merit of everyone and I feel very proud.”
Barcelona, on the other hand, will finish with one hand on the La Liga trophy and the other on the Spanish Super Cup.
“I was very happy to win the Super Cup, but winning La Liga gives us a lot of stability. It has been a magical week. The club has made an extraordinary effort to get to where we are.”
Meanwhile, there have been reports that Barcelona want to extend Xavi’s contract and while addressing the subject, he added, “We are talking about it, it won’t be a problem, but it’s not the priority now. I have one more year on my contract. I will never be a problem for Barça, despite having read that there are disagreements.”
“I would stay for the rest of my life, but this is about results and performance. This season is paying off for me. We’re looking forward to doing even bigger things. It will depend on the results,” he added.
Lastly, when asked about how much would he rate this season, he added, “I would give it a ‘B’. We haven’t competed in Europe and we didn’t do well in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final…”
“We want to play a better role in the Champions League, it is our main objective. We haven’t lived up to the level that this club demands in Europe, we are aware of that,” he concluded.
