The FC Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernández, has attended the media on the eve of the Europa League match that the Barça team will play against Napoli.
Message to the locker room: “It’s an opportunity for us. We have a situation at the club, whose main objective is to enter the Champions League. We have two ways: through LaLiga or by winning the Europa League. It’s a European competition and we need the public. We expect a great atmosphere We haven’t been lucky in the draw. The goal is to get as far as possible.”
Play Europa League: “We would like to be in the Champions League, let’s not kid ourselves, it’s maddening. But it’s a European competition and we have to keep growing. I see it as an opportunity and so do the players. It’s a rival that could be a Champions League tie. Years ago we we crossed in Champions”.
Favoritism: “We’re going for both competitions. It’s a tie with no favourites. It’s a very complicated rival, one of the toughest in the competition. Sevilla, for example, have more experience in the competition. We don’t see ourselves as favourites, we do see ourselves as candidates” .
Mbappe: “It is not my turn to talk about him. He is a great player, what do you want me to tell you? Tell me about mine. We are not in that competition and it makes us angry and angry. This has to rebel and say that we we have to be there. We didn’t do our homework and that’s why we’re in the Europa League”.
Rotations: “I don’t have a gala XI and they’re all going to be important. They all serve and they’re all worth playing for Barça. They’re proving it. Almost all of them have had minutes. Playing for Barça is an opportunity. Of course, with so many games It will not be possible to make a fixed XI”.
Compete at the level of the rest: “We would like to. But our reality is that we are in the Europa League and here we have to show that we are a strong and reliable rival. We have to keep growing, we are not here to think about that”.
PSG: “I’m not here to analyze the rest of the teams. The day we play against PSG or Madrid, we analyze it. Today we analyze Napoli”.
Adama Traore: “He’s a footballer who makes the difference and who can blow up games. He’s going to help us a lot”.
Luke de Jong: “He trains, it’s wonderful to see him. I’m sure he’ll be ready if necessary.”
Messi Reviews: “Being at PSG and being Messi, it’s normal for there to be criticism. If people take the penalty… it’s normal for there to be criticism. He’s the best footballer in history, but he will always have criticism.”
Naples: “It’s a very compact team with a very experienced coach, who works well in getting the ball out and high pressure. They’re going to complicate us, they want the ball. They also defend well in low blocks. They have high-level players. He’s a Champions level team. We could see this tie in the big competition, which is the Champions”.
Whistle to Dembélé: “It won’t depend on playing at home or away. It depends on what I see in training and on the players who are his competition. He helped us in the game against Espanyol. We want him to play with conviction and face the rival. here at the end of the season, he’s one more. He’ll play when we need him”.
Europa League: “It’s not the Third Division. The rivals are big rivals. The champions of recent years are great teams. If we win this competition, we enter the Champions League, we’re motivated”.