Xavi on Madrid's Qualification: "The Best doesn't Always Win"
FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández urged "Pedri" to consider that the injury to his right femoral rectum will be his last injury and asked him not to set deadlines to return to play this season.
In the press conference before the league match against Mallorca, the Egarense coach acknowledged that the muscle injury suffered by the Canarian in San Mamés, the third one he has suffered this season, "is not as serious" as initially thought in a first exploration, although he was cautious about the recovery time.
"The most important thing is for him to recover well. He shouldn't think about playing again for the Clásico or the Euros; he has to think about recovering 100%," said the Barça coach, who pointed out that the coaching staff is trying to do preventive work to avoid this type of injuries.
The absences of the injured Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, "two very sensitive absences," recalled the coach, will not mean a change in Barcelona's playing philosophy, although Xavi acknowledged that he will have to "reinvent the position" of players who are not typical midfielders like Joao Félix, Raphinha, Sergi Roberto, or Ferran Torres.
All of them except Ferran, who is still in the recovery process, could enjoy playing time against Mallorca, where Xavi admitted he will make rotations compared to the last lineup.
"Tomorrow, we will surely make some changes compared to the last match. We have to think about the player, not because Tuesday is the 'Champions League'. We think about fatigue, about the accumulation of minutes... not because Tuesday is an important match, but to think about the players so that all players are available until the end of the season," he said.
In this regard, Xavi avoided referring to the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Napoli and urged his players to focus on LaLiga, a title that, he insisted, Barcelona can still win, despite the eight-point difference with the leader, Real Madrid.
"I don't think LaLiga is lost. Tomorrow we have another opportunity to get closer to five points behind Real Madrid and be ahead of Girona. LaLiga is not lost, and we're not throwing in the towel," he emphasized.
However, he warned that it won't be easy to earn three points against Mallorca, a rival he described as "solid, rugged, and physically strong" that is having "a great season" after reaching the Copa del Rey final by eliminating Real Sociedad.
While his team awaits confirmation next Tuesday of qualification for the Champions League against Napoli, Real Madrid secured passage to the next round on Wednesday in a tie where Leipzig generated many goal-scoring opportunities.
"For us, if we are shot at 34 times (the shots taken by Leipzig throughout the tie), it is normal to lose the match. I repeat, it has also happened to us many times. This is the greatness of football, that the best team doesn't always win," he opined.
Finally, on the day that marks three years since Joan Laporta's victory in the last club elections, Xavi positively assessed the current board's governance.
"Laporta found a club in a very difficult situation economically, institutionally, and in terms of sports. He is the right person to steer this in the right direction. For me, Laporta is the best president in Barcelona's history. If there is anyone who can get Barça out of this situation, it's precisely him," he concluded.
