In his first match back at FC Barcelona, Xavi and his team won 1-0 in the Catalan Derby. After the match, Xavi, Busquets, Ilias and Alemany spoke with the press about the match, LaLiga race, their current situation and much more.
This is what Xavi Hernández had to say:
Regarding the match
“I am very happy with the three points and the effort shown by the players. We did not dominated the entire game. We managed it for 70 or 75 minutes and we did it well. We are not in the best emotional situation and Espanyol has caused us many problems. I am happy and I think we deservedly won. The team showed a lot the attitude, we needed it. We have to continue working. We still have young players who do not dominate the entire game. But I am very happy. But we still have a lot to improve.”
On what the victory means for them
“We are building a project and winning gives us an emotional boost. It was not an easy match. We were good for 70 or 75 minutes but then we conceded too much.”
Regarding the injuries
“Neither Nico’s or Busquets situation looks serious. Mingueza suffered a cramp. This is an indication that he overdid it. We showed excellence in the effort, values and attitude the team had.”
On their chances in LaLiga
“We are far away but there are still a lot of matches left. I am optimistic and we are not going to give up on LaLiga. In previous leagues titles we have fought. The teams need to continue showing attitude and effort. I am optimistic.”
FC Barcelona’s captain, Sergio Busquets also spoke with the media:
Regarding the win
“We know that we are in a difficult situation and we cannot lose more points, the home matches are vital. In general we have been very good. Nowadays, all the teams are complicated. The competition in LaLiga is higher than ever. The team needed this victory so that we can continue to believe, and to be more confident. There is a new manager and new ideas that come with him.”
Regarding the younger players of the team
“Everybody knows the philosophy of Barcelona. Sometimes you there are better generations than others. At the moment they are great. Hopefully they will continue to come up, and help us. For an elite football club like Barça, it is very important to have a great squad.”
Ilias Akhomach one the newer gems of Barcelona had a few things to say as well:
On his debut
“I want to thank the club and the coach for this opportunity. I will always give my best and I hope that the opportunities continue to come.”
Regarding his match
“The truth is that I work as hard as I can in each training. I had no idea. The coach told us the line-up at the hotel, I was surprised and gave my all during the match.”
Finally, Mateu Alemany, the sporting director of the club also spoke with the press:
On the match
“I give the team a very good grade. We come from a complicated team dynamic, we have played well although in the end we have suffered. We have seen a glimpse of Xavi’s idea”
Regarding the current situation of the team
“We know where we are, we have seen how young players respond to the pressure of playing in front of 75,000 people. You start to see interesting things, but we need to be patient and give time”
On Agüero’s situation
“You have to respect him a lot and give both Kun and the doctors time. Rushing seems reckless to me.”
Regarding Demebélé contrat renewal
“We have been negotiating with Ousmane and his agents for months. Dembélé wants to stay and I am especially optimistic that it will end well and he will renew.”
