MADRID, 4 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of FC Barcelona, a “very complete match.”
“The players have taken a step forward, they have believed it. The team has been excellent. The only thing that has failed has been effectiveness, we have played a great football match. We have recovered the game. It is a very complete match, except for the last five minutes. We have to have perseverance to always play this type of game. We lack effectiveness to finish,” he said.
The culé coach highlighted the “great performance” of his team on a key day and against a direct rival in the fight for LaLiga EA Sports, an Atlético that loaned Félix to Barça this summer after their lack of understanding with Diego Pablo Simeone.
“I haven't seen the celebration, but the goal makes a difference for the team. He has emptied himself, I have seen him working a lot for the team, stealing balls, he understands very well with Cancelo on that wing. I see him happy and today he scores the difference, fantastic for him. I told him to be calm because extra motivation sometimes makes you cross the line,” he said.
“We are very happy with him, he is working very well. He is an extraordinary boy in the locker room, zero problems, quite the opposite. I think he has united the group more, joking, I am delighted to have him in the team,” he added about him. Portuguese.
On the other hand, Xavi confessed that it was good to have secured a place in the Champions League round of 16 against Porto and hoped to find consistency. “The team has personality and has played very well. Perhaps the best game of the season, a sign that the team grows in big moments. We must do it in every game, always play like this,” he stated.
Furthermore, the Barça coach recognized the worthwhile interventions of Iñaki Peña who continues to occupy Marc-André ter Stegen's position while the German has not overcome some discomfort in his back. “Peña is an example, how he trains, he plays. He saved us again at the end with two extraordinary stops,” he concluded.