/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/K6AAGWTJEVPI2ET5NC4KZ4AT2M.jpg "Xavi: “We cannot be happy and we have to be self-critical” | Soccer | Sports")
Xavi Hernández, who received a yellow card for protesting in the first half of the clash in San Mamés, made no excuses for not being able to leave San Mamés with the three points. Despite his exchange of opinions with the referees, no decision by Hernández Hernández had a decisive influence on the course of the match, and the Barça coach did not even name him in his appearance. It was his team’s play that focused his speech. “We cannot be happy,” he said at the beginning. “We have to be self-critical, and I am disappointed, although we must also give credit to Athletic,” because, “he comes out very well under pressure, and he closes very well on the wings. He didn’t let us play our game. The team has tried, but has created very little,” he acknowledged.
0
Unai Simón, Yeray, Aitor Paredes, Benat Prados (De Marcos, min. 80), Imanol Garcia, Berenguer, Vesga (Ruiz de Galarreta, min. 63), Williams (Malcom Adu, min. 75), Unai Gómez, Dani García and Guruzeta (Villalibre, min. 75)
0
Ter Stegen, Kounde, Ronald Araújo, Pau Cubarsi, Cancelo, Gundogan, A. Christensen (Oriol Romeu, 76th minute), Frenkie De Jong (Fermin Lopez, 26th minute), Raphinha (John Felix, 75th minute), Pedri (Lamine Yamal, min. 45) and Lewandowski
Goals
Referee Alejandro José Hernández Hernández
Yellow cards Ronald Araújo (min. 31), Dani García (min. 51), A. Christensen (min. 61), Imanol Garcia (min. 65), Berenguer (min. 86) and Koundé (min. 87)
Xavi pointed out that Barcelona did not lack ambition, and that not being able to win leaves its mark. It’s not like nothing happens, because, “it does happen, because the locker room is affected when he doesn’t win. The word is not ambition, but believing more like in the last games.” According to the coach, “in the first 15 minutes we believed more, but then we went down.”
Regarding the absence of Lamine Yamal in the starting team, who left due to Pedri’s injury, the Barça coach pointed out that the Barça striker cannot always play, “because he had played many games in a row at the age of 16, and we have to do prevention to avoid injuries. Lamine must be dosed, because he is a teenager and he cannot accumulate so many games.” He also insisted that, “we have given everything. The team has emptied itself, and has struggled, because Athletic has not created much either in a field where only Madrid has won.”
Regarding the injuries of De Jong and Pedri, Xavi regretted the circumstance: “They are two very important casualties. They are the men who give personality to this team,” he confessed. “We are also missing Gavi, we must not forget that. That is a misfortune. They are two midfielders who were at a very good level and we have been left without them. But we will have to accept the point.”
Meanwhile, Ter Stegen, in statements before the television cameras, stated that we were going for victory but in the end it was not to be. “We didn’t get enough to the Athletic area,” because it’s always a very complicated game here.” In the end, “maybe a draw is better for them than for us.”
The Barcelona goalkeeper, who barely had to intervene during the 90 minutes, lamented that, “you start to have a good feeling and then two key players go down. It always hurts. The kids who have entered have done well. I hope it’s nothing serious in both cases.” In the analysis of the match, Ter Stegen pointed out: “They pressed up high but it wasn’t very intense pressure and they let us play. We knew how to overcome it, but higher up it cost us a little more.”
Meanwhile, for Ernesto Valverde, “the point is a highlight,” because, following reaching the Cup final for Athletic, “our intention is to maintain a high competitive level. I know that following what happened on Thursday we have to come down to earth”, and he pointed out that, “it was not a game with many occasions, but it was very hard-fought. In the end we ended up a little worn out by the effort of the week.”
Valverde has the feeling that, “the rivals have respect for us here as we have for the others. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to beat us, and they started the first ten minutes strong,” but. “The tie is fair, I think so, because there have been few opportunities. It was a close, difficult match, less open than the Cup match once morest them.”
He highlighted regarding Athletic that, “we are a very supportive team, more than anything because we have to be like that. There are times when the opponent has arguments to break your lines. We have the guarantee that the team will respond and knows how to come together.” Did his team lack ambition to go for the win? “The idea with the changes was that, to give it a little more speed. From the beginning I made changes because I saw how the players were doing following the great effort on Thursday,” he said. “I thought we were going to have more chances, but the team has arrived very melted.”
