Xavi: “The 'fear clause' is logical, Eric García wouldn't play if it were up to me”

MADRID, 9 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The coach of FC Barcelona, For him Eric García, now on loan at Girona, “would not play” this Sunday's Catalan derby.

“It will be a great game. Girona, surprisingly for many people, is co-leader, but for us it is not a surprise, because if you analyze it you see that they play very well, they are a dynamic team. Míchel is a great coach and has a system similar to us “They want to have the ball, they want to be protagonists with the ball. They have high-level footballers, they dominate many facets of the game,” he declared at a press conference.

In this sense, he wanted to “congratulate both Míchel and Girona.” “They have tremendous confidence, in the clouds, playing with a lot of self-confidence. We come from a good dynamic; the Porto day was a good game and the Atleti day was a very good game. We have to have this continuity in the game,” he pointed out.

Furthermore, he believes it is possible for Girona to win LaLiga EA Sports. “Against the odds, surprisingly, I think they can aspire to win it. We are practically halfway through the competition and they are leading and lead us by four points, a sign that they are doing things very well. I like how they attack, they are not afraid and they are They are often left with hand-to-hand surveillance behind them. They are very brave and the fact of being brave has made them be there,” he stated.

On the other hand, the Catalan coach acknowledged his satisfaction with the team's performance in the matches against Porto and Atlético. “We had two games that were two finals and we did very well. Tomorrow will be the same, they are a direct rival, they are four points ahead of us. Hopefully we can show the complete version that we showed on Atleti day. These two victories give us They came very well to gain morale and confidence, but tomorrow we must demonstrate it again,” he said.

“I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE COUNTING WITH JOAO FÉLIX”

In another order of things, he assured that the 'fear clause' applied to Pablo Torre, on loan at Girona, seems “good” to him. “A player of ours can never go against us. It seems logical to me. Look at what happened to Atlético the other day with Joao Félix,” he said, in addition to talking about why Eric García doesn't have it.

“I find it illogical that a player who is yours plays against you. He will surely be extra motivated. What happened to Eric was because we couldn't put the clause on him at the last minute. He had to be fast and running and he couldn't get it. I'm not upset, but if it were For me I wouldn't play,” he added.

He also appreciated the statements of the Barça president, Joan Laporta, ensuring that they had begun to hold conversations about the 'Joaos', Félix and Cancelo. “If the president has said it, this goes to mass. He has not said anything that we do not know. We are satisfied with both of them. They have both adapted very well, they are performing at a very high level, making a difference, they are happy… “We would like to have them beyond this season,” he said.

Regarding the forward on loan from Atlético, he acknowledged that he wants him to continue in the team. “I would like to continue having Joao Félix, I am delighted. All parties are clear about it, but there is a negotiation in which the president, Deco, are involved… As a coach I would like to have him,” he explained.

However, he was categorical when denying that they were going to sign a goalkeeper after the operation for German Marc-André Ter Stegen. “It is not an option to sign a goalkeeper, we have confidence in who he is. We are optimistic that he can recover soon. We trust in Iñaki -Peña-, he is doing very well,” he indicated.

Finally, the Catalan coach assessed the injuries that the culé team is suffering. “It's part of the competition; every year we talk about injuries, the calendar, the demands… It's a shame, but we are having bad luck. If you look at the big teams, they all have five, six injured players. This is due to the calendar and the demands,” he concluded.