Recap of Xavi’s post match press conference vs. Athletic Club.
Barcelona faced Athletic Club in a crucial match, but the aftermath left manager Xavi deeply disappointed. Speaking in a press conference following the game, Xavi didn’t mince words about his team’s performance and the setbacks they faced.
“The injuries of Pedri and De Jong don’t look good at all. We are so sad,” Xavi revealed, addressing the unfortunate blow to two key players.
Reflecting on the game itself, Xavi expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, “We didn’t have a good game. We should have taken a step forward today. The game required much more from us. The team could have given much more.”
Acknowledging the impact of the injuries, Xavi admitted, “Surely the injuries affected us. They are two players with a lot of our game.”
Despite the setbacks, Xavi emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on the league race, saying, “We’re still in the league race. There are 11 matches left, of course we have to continue.”
However, Xavi didn’t shy away from critiquing his team’s performance, stating, “We weren’t comfortable at any point in the match. We need to improve a lot.”
Xavi also highlighted the strength of Athletic’s defense, noting, “Athletic’s defense is very strong, and it’s difficult to create chances against them.”
The lack of ambition in the match left Xavi puzzled, especially given the context of other teams dropping points: “It’s very difficult to understand how we lacked the ambition to win today, especially knowing that Girona and Madrid dropped points.”
Xavi addressed the issue of injuries plaguing the team, mentioning the implementation of an injury prevention program: “We’ve been so unlucky with injuries. We’re implementing an injury prevention program. We’re trying to spread minutes out, like we do with Lamine.”
Despite the disappointment, Xavi expressed support for his injured players, particularly Pedri: “We have to support Pedri. He worked very hard to recover well, taking care of all the details, and it happened yet again. He will come back stronger.”
Xavi lamented the missed opportunity for Barcelona to make a statement: “We had to make a statement to the world today and we failed to do so.”
