“I don’t think Xavi is going to say anything about the sun and the countryside is going to be very good”
MADRID, 24 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Rayo Vallecano coach, Francisco Rodríguez, has stated to the press in reference to the criticism of Xavi Hernández, whose Barça visits the Vallecas Stadium this Saturday in LaLiga EA Sports, that the elite is prepared to “endure criticism and praise “and, in addition, he stated that he will not be able to complain about the sun (as he did in the past) because it will be fine to get through the Madrid cold.
“I don’t know the context in which he could say those words. All of us who are in the elite are prepared to endure criticism and praise. I am abstracted from that, but those who are in First Division are prepared for that,” he commented in a conference. of press.
Xavi regretted the added pressure that the press and the environment exert on his players and, although he clarified this Friday that he did not want to use it as an excuse for the team’s poor play in the first half against Alavés, he reiterated his words and assured that these criticisms do not help their players.
Also in reference to the player from Terrassa, who once complained about playing in the afternoon in full sun, he assured that on this occasion, playing at 2:00 p.m., it should not be a problem. “Every day we train in the sun, every day we work in the sun. I think it is also good with the cold that is causing there to be a little bit of sun,” he said, relaxed. “I don’t think that tomorrow Xavi is going to say anything about the sun because it’s going to be a fantastic day and the field is going to be very good, too,” he added.
In purely sporting terms, they will try to beat a Barça team that he, as a coach, has never surpassed. “I knew that I hadn’t beaten Barça but I didn’t know that Xavi hadn’t beaten Rayo either, because in the end we worried a lot about ourselves. It’s true that we respect the next rival a lot, that in the end they are one of the best teams of Europe and the world. But hey, we have to do what we have been doing at home, be a brave team,” he argued.
“We will have to compete to the maximum again and know what each one of us has to do on the field and as a team. The statistics are very good, I have faced Xavi two or three times and I was not fortunate enough to win. It is very good coach, he is a friend of mine and I wish him all the luck after the game against Rayo, in which I need my first victory against him,” he added.
“We have been close on several occasions against great rivals, such as Real Sociedad and Girona, with whom we have competed well. I think we have faced very powerful rivals and now another one awaits us, hopefully it will be against Barça. They are resisting us the victory at home and hopefully it will be with Barcelona and tomorrow can be a good day,” he said about breaking that bad streak against teams from the upper zone.
To do this, it will be key to find the goal and even more so after being left without Álvaro García, injured, who was their top scorer with just 4 goals. “Seeing that we are not having continuity, especially in goals, because we do not have goals with our forwards, we try to put the one who best adapts to the game, according to the rival, tactically, right? In the end it is a moment that we will find playing,” he said.
“As soon as we find a forward who scores goals, we will not rotate that position as much. Each game is different and we make decisions about this. Whoever plays against Barça will be 100% ready to try to score a goal,” he said in this regard.
Regarding Álvaro García’s loss, he acknowledged that it is “important.” “He has been an important player in recent seasons. Baby has only been able to train today because he arrived at dawn. We have many options, Chavarría and De Frutos can play there and I am sure that whoever comes out will do wonderfully and we will not miss him at all. Álvaro”, he was sincere.
Nor will Gavi be in Vallecas, who will miss the remainder of the season. “It’s a shame for Barça and the national team because he was one of the best. If at some point this had to happen to him, it’s preferable that it happen now because he’s still young. A hug and send him a message of support. Barça “He has high-level players to replace him,” he said.
Francisco took advantage of the appearance to once again ask for more clarity on the arbitration issue. “We were very clear in the meeting, we believe that there is a lack of communication between referees and teams. It is true that during the week they allow you to go to the VAR to see where they may have failed in your match. That communication is missing, but little by little “They are for the job. They are still mistakes, but the referees have no weight at the end of the season,” he concluded.