Xavi discussed rumors about Lewandowski, Pique’s participation, Fati’s return, Fabian Blanco’s performances, Nico’s game time, Dest’s availability, Luuk de jong’s winner, and keeping possession against the German opponents ahead of Barca vs Frankfurt.
Xavi on the match against Frankfurt:
“I think we have to improve in terms of not losing the ball. We are playing in front of our fans, and this is an advantage for us, but we must not have any excuses. We are working to prevent them from getting the ball, and prevent rebounds.”
Xavi on Gerad Pique’s participation:
“Pique’s participation will depend on his sensations. He is a competitive player, and we will assess his ability to participate tomorrow.”
Xavi on Ansu Fati’s return date:
“We will not rush him into returning. Everything depends on his sensations, but it is good to see him train with the team. He is close to being included in full training. We won’t declare a specific time or match for Ansu’s return. Everything will depend on his readiness.”
Xavi on Lewandowski being linked to Barca:
“Lewandowski rumors? I don’t think it’s the right time to talk about that. We’re focused on tomorrow’s match and we won’t talk any more about future interests.”
Xavi on winning Europa League:
“At the beginning of the season we wanted to compete for the Champions League, but today we are wanting to compete for the Europa League. In the end, it is a European Championship, and we want to win it.”
Xavi on the pressure to win:
“This is Barca, the pressure is to always win and play well, no matter what happened in the last game. We have to be perfect, this is the most demanding team in the world.”
Xavi on winning against big teams:
“You asked me about winning against big teams, right? Did you see what Villarreal did yesterday? We beat Villarreal, right? You have to now put Villarreal among big teams that we have won against.”
Xavi on Luuk de Jong:
“Luuk de Jong? I’ve said it over and over again, he’s a role model for professionalism and his work. Since he came, he’s played his own style and he helps me a lot with the team.”
Xavi on Nico:
“Nico doesn’t play much, is there a physical issue? There is no physical issue, he’s a good player, and he doesn’t have bad games. I am happy with him, his work, and his competitiveness. He is an important player for the team, he’s played many minutes.”
Xavi on Dest:
“Dest? With him on the squad list, he definitely has a chance to play. It’s the same for Memphis, it’s important that we are starting to get our players back.”
Xavi on Fabian Blanco:
“Fabian Blanco is a great player for Barca B, he’s doing really well and scoring goals. We will evaluate his performance at the end of the season, but he’s doing well.”
Xavi on keeping possession and pitch conditions:
“We have to be more responsible when we have the ball. The pitch did not help us in the first leg, but I expect the pitch to be better tomorrow. We have to attack well, and defend better than we did in the first leg.”
Xavi on Winning Europa League for the first time:
“The Europa League has not been won by Barca in its history, and we have to win it for the fans.”
That concludes Xavi’s press conference.
