Xavi: 'Barca have the strongest attack in Europe'
"Sometimes I use a 3-4-3 system like the victory at Sociedad. We want to win the ball back in the opponent's half. Barca are probably the strongest attacking team in Europe right now, along with Man City. It's hard to believe that many people say that I am a defensive coach," Spanish newspaper Marca quoted Xavi in a press conference on February 18 before the match against Cadiz in the 22nd round of La Liga.
Barca is said to appreciate the pragmatic element, as shown by their seven 1-0 wins in just 21 matches in La Liga season 2022-2023, equaling the club's record in the tournament. Barca once achieved this achievement through 44 matches in the 1986-1987 season, through 42 matches in the 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 seasons.
Barca also only conceded seven times in 21 matches, the best statistics in La Liga this season. The two teams behind Barca in the same statistics are Real and Atletico with 17 goals each. In contrast, Barca owns the second best attack in the league with 43 goals, three goals behind Real but one game less. They will become the club with the best attack if they score at least four goals against Cadiz today.
Xavi regrets that the duo Pedri and Gavi cannot kick the Europa League play-off second leg, but hopes for the return of captain midfielder Sergio Busquets. "Busquets' absence is always damaging, because of his tactical ability, his ability to recover the ball, his ability to read situations. It is great news that Busquets is recovering well," said the Spain coach. express.
Xavi defended Robert Lewandowski - who was criticized for being lackluster in the match against Man Utd and was empty in the last three matches. "I see that Lewandowski is still playing well," the 43-year-old coach said. "We're used to Lewandowski's extraordinary level, and now he's a little bit worse, but not too bad. Maybe Barca need to find a way to exploit Lewandowski's strengths better."
The first leg at Camp Nou ended with a score of 2-2. Because the rule on the opponent's field is no longer valid in European Cups, Man Utd will not enjoy the advantage of two goals at the Camp Nou. If there is a draw in the 90 minutes of the second leg at Old Trafford on February 23, the two teams will have to play extra time.
When asked about information that Barca transferred a total of $ 1.5 million to the vice president of the Spanish arbitral tribunal for the period 2016-2018, Xavi replied: "We studied the video, practiced and only focused on the game against Cadiz We handled the news the best we could, even joked about this rumor Nothing more We didn't have to deal with it and didn't even discuss it. this information".
Marca said the Spanish coach is more comfortable when asked about professional issues. He praised Cadiz as a good defensive team, playing directly and often crossing the ball early. Xavi also said Barca will hold more balls because Cadiz often defends with a deep back system. He also warned the students not to be subjective by recalling that Barca once lost to Cadiz 0-1 right at Camp Nou in April 2022.
When asked about the La Liga title race, the Spanish coach added: "I would be very upset if Barca did not win the title this season. There are many rounds ahead, and we must always be ready."
