MADRID, 11 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of FC Barcelona, Xavi Hernández, wished Erling Haaland “the best” at Manchester City, his new club, and admitted that they could not “compete on an economic level” against the English offer, in addition to making a positive balance of the victory against Celta (3-1), more for the result than for the game.
“I wish Haaland all the best, we haven’t been able to compete financially. It’s impossible for us at the moment. That’s how things have gone. I want to wish him the best,” Xavi said after signing the Norwegian striker for Pep’s team Guardiola.
In relation to the victory against Celta, Xavi was aware that they were “thick”. “Without playing a good game we took three points and a good result. We have been very effective. Finishing second is enough motivation, we are playing for a title next season and the economic issue as well”, commented the Blaugrana coach.
“The reality is that today we were thick, we were not good, but the positive part is that you compete and win. Today the opposite has happened to us than other games. I am satisfied with the three points but it is obvious that we have to improve “, recognized in the press conference after the meeting.
About the system, Xavi said that he tried to stop the rival coach. “The idea was to play 3-4-3 to have superiority and match ‘Chacho’ Coudet’s system because it’s difficult to counter, but it didn’t work out and we went back to 4-3-3. We didn’t play well in the first half , surely it was unfair that we went 2-0 on the scoreboard”, he valued.
“And then we changed the system and from the expulsion, yes, logically. We lacked the pause, the order, it is an evidence. And after the expulsion we have been a little better and it is true that we have not had problems. This system (3-4-3) has a lot of defensive risk, it’s an important risk, the pivots have to recover a lot of the ball, you have to be well guarded, etc. It’s a system that we use at the end of games if we have to go to win them. But today, I repeat, it did not go well and we seek to be more comfortable”, he analyzed.
Regarding the cards at the end of the match, to Jordi Alba and De Jong, the culé coach said that “they were not scheduled”. “In the end, second place is not sentenced. Atlético and Sevilla still have to play and we will go to Getafe to win. We are going to see how Araujo is doing but we get Busquets back. We have to play better but other days we have played better and we have not won” , ended.