Xavi Says A Win Against Betis Is Very Important

Xavi was at the pre-match press conference against Betis and was asked a lot of questions 

Do You Want Control Of The Game Even More

The logic is to win, and to play well, offensively and defensively, bring up the ball, high press. I’ve been here 3 weeks, and we have to adjust several things. We’re on a positive trend right now, tomorrow is a vital game, we still have that urgency. It’s a difficult moment, Betis are above us in the table, we have to get three points and win. 

About The Game Against Bayern 

Every game is urgent, but I don’t look ahead. Every game is a final, we can’t lose points. We’ll think about the Munich game in due time. Tomorrow we’ll come out with the best 11. The league is our everyday and it’s vital for us. 

Laporta said that Fati will not play on Wednesday, how is he doing 

He’s working very hard, I want him to be comfortable, the next matches are important for us. I won’t force any player to be back 

About Dembele’s Renewal and his other offers 

I understand that it’s not just financial, but sporting as well. He’s clear about his position, he’s very talented. He sacrifices for the team, he works 100%. It all depends on him, he’s happy with the sporting project. It depends on everyone around him, and himself. I hope we can reach an agreement. 

About The Bayern Munich and the future of Barca 

No, I don’t think it’ll affect the future. We have important games coming, all weeks and games are important. We need to be 100% and compete for everything. There’s no rest. 

Laporta said that Barca wants to win the league, do you share that 

Our objective is to win, that’s how football is. We’re here to compete. We’ll see where we are at the end of the season. I share that with the president. 

About Sergino Dest, is he ready to be back fully 

He’s 100%. All players want to play despite injuries, he suffered a lot. He showed his commitment, and is available tomorrow. 

About Injuries upfront 

Of course, we know the players who are missing. Those players would’ve given us a lot in the past games. We need to compete with what we got. We need to give our best against Betis from the very first minute. 

Laporta said that there will be players coming and going in January 

We’re talking about the game tomorrow. Some players will leave, but our financial situation is not great. The club is trying to manage things. 

What do you think the team needs to strengthen the squad 

I like to talk about the players we have, maybe we can address this in January again. 

On the Ballon d’Or won by Lionel Messi 

I want to congratulate Alexia, she made history, and we have a great friendship. We shared the club when she was very young. I congratulate Pedri as well, he invited us all to dinner. It was never the wrong decision to give the award to Messi like Pep said. I agree with him. 

On Cavani 

You didn’t hear what I said before, right? He’s a good player, but I’d rather talk about the players who are here. 

Why is that when Barca win against Villareal without dominating the game and when Madrid win we talk about it 

Because Barca is the most difficult club in the world. We need to play well, as well as win. Here for us, that’s what matters. We got our first away win, it was very important. We need to improve things in the game.

What Did You Work on This Week 

We worked on a lot of things, high press, defence, and more. We always face difficult opponents, with Betis it’ll be the same. 

About Sergi Roberto 

He’s a great example for the entire locker room. People have been very unjust with him, he has been whistled as well, it’s incorrect. He’s a great example, and a fundamental player for the team. He’s working hard, and when he recovers he’ll be happy. 

About the problem between you and Unai Emery at the end of the Villareal game 

There’s no problem, we gave each other a hug at the end of the game. I have the utmost respect for him. 

Is Dembele ready with game rhythm 

Ousmane is 100%, it depends on how I’m gonna use him. He’s ready to play. 

Will Dembele be left aside if he doesn’t renew 

We’ll be positive that he renews, I look at things positively. As an image of the club, benching him isn’t an option. 

On The Women’s Team in Barca 

I have a lot of respect, they’re really good and it’s a joy to watch them play. I wish them all the best. 

You said Messi is the best player in the world. Have you compared Messi and Pele?

Leo is the best. In the end people vote and the one who wins is the winner. Pele was the best in his time, Maradona in his, but football evolves. If in 30 years someone comes out to be the best, we can call him the best. For me, it’s obvious, it’s not even close. 

About Betis, do you like Guardadas

He’s tactically very gifted, he’s a very important player for Betis. We were close to getting him in Al Sadd. 

What’s the best and least best in your team right now

Lots of things. We made the final pass against Villareal that I was asking for. The team needs to be more compact defensively. We can still improve our high press, we won a lot of duels as well. We’ll improve in all aspects. 

About Frenkie’s performance against Villareal on the right side 

He’s a very important player for the team. He gave the final pass. Pau Torres was focussed on Frenkie, that’s why we changed his position, and he played well. 

About his best system on the pitch, what do you consider 

The most important thing is our idea, our game model. It is to press high, to play in the opponent’s half. For this we need the ball. We analyse the opponent, what system is best for us. 

Have you worked out the balance of using veteran and young players simultaneously 

I think we will use all the players we have. All our players are training very hard and well. This is the way I think.