Xavi: “The result is unfair, everyone has seen it”

With the future of Xavi Hernández in the air, Barcelona virtually said goodbye to the League, that is, to the season. And he said goodbye to everything in a week: on Tuesday against PSG, yesterday against Madrid. Now, Barça is only waiting to certify the second place granted by the visa to the Spanish Super Cup and, above all, what the coach will do, if he fulfills his contract or if he leaves, as he announced in January .

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Andriy Lunin, Aurelien Tchouameni, Camavinga (Fran Garcia, min. 71), Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, Federico Valverde, Modric, Jude Bellingham, Kroos (Brahim Diaz, min. 71), Vinicius Junior (Joselu, min. 82) and Rodrygo (Eder Militao, min. 74)

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Ter Stegen, Pau Cubarsí, Cancelo, Koundé, Ronald Araújo, A. Christensen (Fermín López, min. 45), Frenkie De Jong (Pedri, min. 51), Gündogan, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha (João Félix, min. 63) and Lewandowski (Ferrán Torres, min. 63)

Goals 0-1 min. 5: A. Christensen. 1-1 min. 17: Vinicius Junior. 1-2 min. 69: Fermin Lopez. 2-2 min. 72: Lucas Vázquez. 3-2 min. 90: Jude Bellingham.

Referee César Soto Grado

Yellow cards Camavinga (min. 33), Koundé (min. 75), Modric (min. 82) and Pau Cubarsí (min. 90)

“This is not the time to talk about the future. We controlled the game and deserved the victory. The result is unfair, everyone has seen it,” the coach analyzed. He tried to bite his tongue with the referee. He couldn’t: “Yesterday they asked me about the referee, I said that I asked him to go unnoticed and be right… well, neither of those things.” Cubarsí’s penalty against Lucas Vázquez, but above all a shot by Lamine Yamal that no camera showed whether the ball had completely crossed the goal line or not. “I can’t find words to explain what happened on the goal line. It is a shame for world football. “This world moves a lot of money, but not for what is important,” Ter Stegen complained. “Totally agree,” added the coach. It wasn’t Xavi’s only problem: he lost De Jong after a tough clash with Fede Valverde.

Once again, Xavi was left without his ideal team, now, like last Tuesday in Montjuïc against PSG, against Madrid in Chamartín. “Since we won in Paris, we already knew the team for the return against Paris. We didn’t have more…”, the coaching staff explained about forcing Pedri – he is not in his best shape – to play against Luis Enrique’s team in the second leg of the quarterfinals. It was the first most important game that Barça had left in the campaign: they lost it.

At the Bernabéu, in order not to say goodbye to the League, Xavi had no choice but to bet on Pedri again. But the departure of De Jong forced him to make another change: Fermín López for Christensen, scorer for scorer, both present on the scoreboard. The coach’s idea was to maintain control at the start with the duo Pedri and Gündogan. It worked, according to Xavi. Also his forgetfulness of the locker room policy when he sent Lewandowski to the bench. This time, as he had not passed against PSG, he left his best attacking player on the field: Lamine Yamal.

The Barça youth player feels comfortable at the Bernabéu; In the friendly between Spain and Brazil he left cheered by the Red fans, this Sunday he was the owner of Barça’s attack in his first classic as a starter in Chamartín. “We are in front of a very differential player. It is a tremendous irruption,” said Xavi.

But the omnipresence of Lamine in the Madrid field contrasted with the passivity in defense of Cancelo, present (absent) in the photo of the three goals in Ancelotti’s painting. As against PSG, the Portuguese is once again in the spotlight. In the Champions League to say goodbye to Barça in Europe, at the Bernabéu for the Blaugrana to virtually say goodbye to the League. “They escape us due to situations that we do not control and work on,” concluded Xavi. Real won the three classics of the season and the white fans are clear: “Xavi, stay,” sang the Santiago Bernabéu. Strange coincidence: the Barcelona fans asked for the same thing upon their team’s arrival in Madrid.

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