“I'm not going to talk more about the referees, I promised you and I can't let you down”
MADRID, 10 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of FC Barcelona, every day”, starting with this Sunday's game against Granada.
“My day to day life has not changed. I have had a friendship with Deco for many years; in everything I can help, even if I don't follow next season, I will help the club. If you ask me, I will tell you my opinion and the best for the club and for the team. My relationship with him is extraordinary. My day-to-day life has not changed, I am even more motivated knowing that I have less and less left in the position,” he declared at a press conference.
In this sense, he stressed that he focuses on the “day to day.” “I think I made it very clear, nothing has to change, I am focused on the day to day. The decision was correct, I think the club needed this change of dynamic and this change of direction. I do not focus on anything other than tomorrow's game, I'm not thinking about Vigo or Naples. I've decided to go day by day, it's my new goal,” he stressed.
The culé coach refused, however, to assess the sanction against Vitor Roque. “I already told you that I'm not going to talk about referees anymore, I already said my opinion last week. With all the education in the world, I'm not going to answer you,” he said. “I'm not going to talk more about the referees, I promised you and I can't let you down,” he continued.
Regarding the German goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen, who will be available again this Sunday like Raphinha, he assured that he is “a fundamental footballer.” “He is one of the natural leaders of the squad. That said, I am very happy with Iñaki -Peña-, he has done a very good job, he has shown that he is a goalkeeper for Barça and a reliable goalkeeper. We need the more people the better, and We are talking about a capital player for the squad,” he said.
In another vein, he acknowledged that he is “excited” by the “involvement” of Oriol Romeu, who has been playing “with discomfort for many games.” “Another footballer would have stopped and looked for him, and he has looked for the team. We know the difficulty he is going through and from here on tomorrow he will rest, and will be available for Celta's day,” he explained.
Regarding the rival, he assured that “Medina's hand is already visible”, since he is “more solid” and “defends better.” “They have improved in aggressiveness, we imagine a game with a Granada in a low block. They are in need of points, but they have improved, they have need and they play a lot. We need the warmth of the fans to continue with this mini streak of positive results,” he warned .
The Catalan coach, who has not beaten the Nasrids as a coach, believes that this is “more motivation on a personal level and also for the footballers.” “He is a difficult opponent and he has competed in all the games with Medina. It is a motivation to show that we have made an improvement. The Vitoria game was good and it is in the dynamic in which we have to continue,” he explained.
Furthermore, he knows that they cannot “fail” considering that this Saturday Real Madrid and Girona face each other. “For us, what is best for us is to win tomorrow and even more so knowing that one of the two, or both of them, are going to leave points. What we cannot do is fail like we did the day against Villarreal. Of course we will be attentive to the game in today, of Atlético de Madrid and of all those fighting for the LaLiga title. But, the most important thing is not to fail tomorrow,” he indicated.
Finally, Xavi assessed the possibility of introducing the blue card in football. “It seems to me that we have to try it. FIFA does well to try things in lower categories and, if it works, one more tool. If it is good for football, we will see. We have not tested it,” he concluded.