"It's a pleasure to watch Cubarsi play"

Barcelona qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals. The 'Cules' beat Napoli 3-1, in a match in which Pau Cubarsi excelled. The 17-year-old defender was able to stop a goalscorer of Osimhen's status and earned the respect and admiration of his coach, Xavi Hernandez.

"Cubarsi doesn't get nervous. His ball control is brutal and he has the pace to generate attacking moves. He links up well with the midfielders, it's a pleasure to watch him play," said the coach with a happy face, who also highlighted the performance of his team.

"It was a complete game. The team gave everything, I'm proud of the players. I said they would take a step forward with my departure at the end of the season. People didn't believe me and said I was going to lose the dressing room's backing. We have received a lot of unfair criticism. The team was very good, aggressive, high pressing. We were very good in defence and we were close to excellent. The fans enjoyed it. It's no coincidence that we won 3-1 against a great rival", he commented.

Regarding the substitutions of Sergi Roberto, Oriol Romeu and Joao Felix, this is what Xavi had to say: "They have given us fresh legs. We've moved on with very young players. There's a lot of merit in what this team has done".

Finally, the coach from Terrassa, who thanked the fans for their support on a key day for the 'Cule', is already looking forward to the quarter-finals to fight to advance to the next round. "Now, let's wait for the draw. I'm excited and eager to be in the semis," he concluded.

 

March 12, 2024