"We are not throwing in the towel, we are in the race for La Liga"

Without counting what Real Madrid do against Sevilla, Barcelona moved within five points of pole position with a win over Getafe at Montjuic. Xavi Hernandez, who has already announced that he will leave the club on 30th June, appeared at a press conference and in front of the 'Movistar' microphones after the match and said that there is still no reason to give up in the fight for the top spot in the table. He also highlighted the good work of Pau Cubarsi and Frenkie de Jong, among others.

"We are not throwing in the towel. We are in the fight. There are 12 games left and we're going to see what happens this matchday. We'll be watching to see what Girona and Real Madrid do. Frenkie is self-demanding and a perfectionist. That's why he's a Barca player and why he's one of the best midfielders in the world. I'm sure he can do better, but he was very good," said the Spanish coach.

"We were looking for Joao and Raphinha in depth. They have more ability to go into spaces than a fourth midfielder or Lamine. We had to take advantage of the back and they did that very well. It was a convincing game from the team. Very happy and satisfied. It's a victory that gives us a bit more calm and now we can think about Athletic next Sunday", he analysed, once again focusing on a more detailed view of the match.

"It's a very complete game; in intensity, we matched them. We were able to get into space many times and that's where the goals came from. We managed to get out of their high pressure to make the difference at the back," he added. At the aforementioned moment when he got a laugh out of one of his interlocutors, he said he was "amazed" because his was the "first positive guess in the two and a half years" he has been in charge.

 

February 25, 2024