Fans have long acquired a surprising habit: they get more upset by some of the statements than by the team’s play. It is becoming more and more common, more and more understandable and this Olympic sport is more and more accepted by the masses. If it is won, an ill-advised phrase by the protagonist will be scrutinized. And when it is lost, a kind of fattened apocalypse unleashes with a manual of clichés and excuses. Last night, Barça reached the unspeakable and with great difficulty the edge of the next round of the cup and Xavi Hernández, perhaps struck by an attack of extreme caution, decided to go into the garden with his statements. Xavi, after conceding three goals that could have been four – Araujo avoided it – against an inferior rival in two categories, after touching the knockout for too many minutes and suffering until extra time, he stood to the press and formulated a great speech. He said he was satisfied with the team’s play, that he was satisfied overall and that the group lacked strength. And of course the fans, who are not made of stone, were more annoyed by those surreal statements than by the team’s really mediocre and starved play.
It’s possible that Xavi had a caution attack. It is possible that he did not want to attack his players. It is even possible that he bit his tongue and preferred to say one thing in the press room and the other, quite differently, in the dressing room. It is not the first time that reality has gone one way and Xavi’s speech the other. It won’t be the last either. In any case, Xavi must be aware not only that his team needs to play much better, but that their words every time they don’t have background and depth important enough to change the mood of the fans. After coming close to KO against a Primera RFEF team who scored three goals for him, he was able to score four and took him to extra time, in a large field, with the grass in perfect condition and with no home crowd. thousands of Barça fans were the ones expecting some self-criticism. There wasn’t. And it’s not the first time this has happened.
People are still curious if Xavi Hernández will finally be a prophet in his country and take the big leap to show that he is the coach many believe he can become. Besides the mundane things that journalism tinkers with (model, style, touch) and the hateful but inevitable comparisons – Xavi is Xavi, he has nothing to do with Pep – the Barça coach’s roadmap sees the first serious difficulties. People keep thinking that Xavi Hernández is a better coach than Ronald Koeman by quite a few lengths. And he continues to think that Barça are now playing more decent, coherent and organized football than two years ago. Of course, even when you know that what matters most is what happens on the field and not what is said in the press room, you increasingly feel like Xavi is getting the wrong message. Barça is not and cannot be an NGO. And there are nights when, as much as the coach wants to put out uncontrolled fires, the member needs to hear a message befitting the club’s demands and grandeur. Barça are too big for Xavi to shade it yesterday by saying he was happy with the game. A club with a huge ambition cannot send such a small message.
Reuben Uria
Source: Goal