Carles rexach (74 years old) and Dani Solsona (69) are living history of the Barça-Espanyol derbies. The former played 16 seasons at the Barça club and the latter spent 8 at Sarrià. Yesterday, MD gathered them in The English Court of the Portal de l’Àngel from Barcelona to find out his opinion on tomorrow’s derby and some of his experiences when they faced each other on the pitch. Once again they gave a soccer lesson and, in addition, wasting a sense of humor.
How does Xavi’s debut affect the derby?
Rexach (R): “The fans are delighted with Xavi, it is a spectacular boom, and that encourages people to go to the field, now that there were only half innings, it can be full. I hope for an even duel but Barça, being local, has an advantage. In spite of everything, I think Espanyol is one point higher than Barça, but in a derby you can’t say anything ”.
Solsona (S): “Before Xavi the parrots arrived we thought it was possible to get some point, seeing how one and the other were. But the players when a new coach arrives they are always much more motivated and are more attentive to what he says. So I already have doubts about the fact that Espanyol has a chance to get something out of it. With the change of coach, I think you have to be prudent and wait to see how the game and the line-ups are going to be presented ”.
Is Espanyolismo more excited to win and go to Barça or to win a game away?
S: “I haven’t even considered advancing to Barça. I want to win clearly because with what it costs to win at the Camp Nou, where Espanyol has not won for so many years, playing a good game would be very good for the morale of the parakeets ”.
What game do you expect?
S: “Barça don’t have the same punch as before and I think that will help us. If De Tomás has the day, we can still get the 3 points and if it can be clearly, the better. I prefer an uglier match, not so spectacular, but take something positive with us. Hopefully we can see Espanyol like the day of Madrid or the first half of Atlético, not Getafe ”.
A: “I see an uncertain match. Espanyol has a more defined team than Barça, who are still looking for their ideal eleven. If Espanyol enters the game without fear, it will be a lively and beautiful duel. If there is fear, the derby will lose its charm ”.
What can Xavi do to change Barça’s face in a few days?
A: “Position the players well. Some have played every Sunday in different positions and that affects. Let him put in the most logical equipment ”.
S: “It takes time to translate the idea that a coach has on the field. Xavi cannot do strange things because he is limited in numbers. And little by little you instill your idea. Moreno has been varying a bit, not in defense because the four are very defined, but in the middle he has made modifications depending on the rival ”.
Rexach: “What Xavi can do is place the players well. Some have played every Sunday in different positions and that affects”
Does the Xavi factor on the bench help or harm Espanyol?
S: “You have to have a plan A and B. After Getafe, Moreno acknowledged that Quique had surprised him from the beginning with his approach because he had just arrived. I hope that against Barça he has an idea and if Plan A does not work, he can apply Plan B ”.
What individualities of each team can be decisive?
A: “I think the game will be fairly even, especially in the core. The problem will be in the areas. Against Celta, Barça scored 3 goals in the first half, but then they almost scored four in the second. Mastering the ‘hot’ zone is the basis and it will depend on the quality of the players ”.
S: “The decisive player is De Tomás. He’s smart, sometimes maddening, but he’s different. In the rear they must all work closely together. And if Darder is well it will be very important to put balls to RDT. Solid behind and also very important the climbs of the Pedrosa ‘engine’, if it is greased ”.
Carles Rexach and Dani Solsona, in the meeting with MD in which they analyzed the derby
What result would you like and which one do you envision?
A: “Playing at home, we generally always won and in Sarrià we suffered a lot. Then it changed a bit. I remember the League that we lost with the goals of Urbano, Tamudazo, the goal of De la Peña … In my case, I only remember losing a game at home with a goal from Glaría from a penalty many years ago. Playing at home I expect a victory even if it is short ”.
S: “One thing is what I would like and another is what I think could happen. What I would like is a 0-3 but a 1-2 would not go wrong. And what Charly says is true. The Camp Nou has been a fortress for many years but let me say that in my years, in Sarrià, it was much more balanced.
Solsona: “One thing is what I would like and another is what I think could happen. What I would like is a 0-3 but a 1-2 would not go wrong”
Do you notice that there is a desire to derby after a year without playing?
A: The game comes at a good time, even more so for Espanyol because of the game they are doing. But it is a time when a result in favor of one or the other is not decisive. It can be played with a certain calm. There are life and death matches but this one does not reach that extreme.
S: If we win, and I hadn’t thought about it, we will be above Barça and we will leave them touched, without being life or death because there are five months left in the league. Barça’s objective cannot be other than to be among the top four to access the next Champions League. And on the part of Espanyol, I think that the discourse of its people never sets an objective, such as reaching a European competition, because it seems that if they say it and then you cannot achieve it, it is a failure. I think you always have to be ambitious. Saying that if we stay in the middle of the table or we save ourselves is fine, it doesn’t work for me. It has never served me.
What do you not forget about your derbies?
A: “I remember one in Sarrià, the worst we’ve had, we lost 5-2. In the Barça field, out of 15 or 20 games that I played, I only lost one. Before there was an advantage that now does not exist: we were friends with players from the other team. I was from Marcial when I was at Espanyol and then we would go out to dinner.
S: With more fondness I remember the derby in which I debuted, in a Cup match. Espanyol was in the Second Division and the coach, Iriondo, told me that he was going to leave for a little while because Marín was injured and I played 20 minutes. Like Charly, we have lived derbies since the Infantile and I already had to eat brown then. I carried it deep inside because my father was very much from Espanyol and they didn’t talk about anything else in my house. The negative, in quotes, the game in which we won 0-1. I was on the bench because I was coming out of an injury and I did not participate …
Do you remember any derby to finish with sticks?
A: Going further back, I only remember one time when Benítez, our right-back who died, played, when a taco was put together because it was the time of Espanyol’s ‘dolphins’ (Amas, Rodilla, Re, Marcial and José María) and Benítez took out a can of sardines and it did not suit them … I had a very good relationship with these forwards of the ‘dolphins’, with Glaría, with Ochoa …
S: Not smacking because I was very calm, if there were smacks to the right I would go to the left. But in Sarrià, I remember that the pitch was not in perfect condition, there was a lot of dirt, and at Barça there was a very aggressive player when pressing, without bad intention, which was Neeskens. He was always in my zone and when I received the ball he would come and squeeze me. If you left, he would throw himself on the ground and try to touch you. I left a couple of times, he threw himself and couldn’t touch me, but the third time, when the ball was in another place, I approached him and said: the field of Barça ”. Just in case …
What goals should Barça and Espanyol have this season?
A: Barça has to be realistic. The Champions League falls very far and in the League he has his options because none of the above is very good, they all fail. And the Cup is a closed box. The Barça has to be mentalized in the League and the Cup.
S: I don’t close any doors for Espanyol. We are in November but I do not rule out that if he continues in this line he could reach the final stretch with some option, I no longer say the same about the Europa League, but I do say the same about the Conference League. You have to be optimistic and then we’ll see because you can always lose several games in a row. But in no case do I see permanence in danger.
Reference shopping center
Appointment in El Corte Inglés of Portal de l’Àngel
The English Court of Portal de l’Àngel, a benchmark in sports equipment in Catalonia, was the scene of the interview with Carles Rexach and Dani Solsona. This shopping center specialized in sportswear is in one of the main commercial arteries of Barcelona, between Plaça de Catalunya and the Cathedral. Apart from having a wide assortment of sports equipment, in its restaurant there is a wide gastronomic offer and a terrace with magnificent views of Barcelona.