Xavi sends a warning to the team over intensity
The Barcelona coach wants his team to focus and play with great determination
Xavi Hernandez sent a message to his players ahead of the clash with Osasuna in La Liga. The coach wants to avoid a repeat of the bore draw with Galatasaray and wants intensity from his team from the first moment.
The comeback against PSG from Real Madrid served him as an example. “Madrid turned around the score with faith and will, they got through and the Champions is like this,” said Xavi. “If you are not 100 per cent, the opponent can beat you. Against Osasuna I say the same. Any opponent can beat you, that’s what happened.”
Xavi wants a Barcelona with ambition because not scoring quickly makes things harder. “It’s hard to ‘open the can’, a goal at the start can change the game. They can’t beat us on intensity, that’s a value we should maintain. That’s a base that we have had and we can’t let it go.”
Xavj confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would return to the side. “He’d played a lot of minutes and I thought about tiredness. He’s a player who links with the interiors, does spectacular work, with high pressure after losing the ball. With the intensity we play it’s normal that he’s tired or fatigued, but he’s crucial. He gives a lot of chances, links well, can score, it’s an advantage to have a player like this.”
