Xavi: "We have to steal the ball from Real, it will be a great game"

"I tell Gavi to put even more passion on him, not to stop," said the Barça coach on the eve of the Cup quarterfinals

BARCELONA, 24 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The coach of FC Barcelona, ​​Xavi Hernández, predicted that the match against Real Sociedad, corresponding to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey and which will take place this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) at the Spotify Camp Nou, will be a " Great game" and said that the key will be "stealing the ball" from the San Sebastian team.

"We have to steal the ball from them because they are very comfortable when they have it. They have a different system and that allows them to be very dominant in the game. We have to be aggressive without the ball because otherwise we will suffer. They throw the defensive line very high. It seems much to the game model that we want", he analyzed at a press conference.

For Xavi Hernández, the Cup quarterfinal is a "key game" and "decisive" for the course, and for this reason he asked for the support of the fans. "We play in front of our fans, whom we need, and I call for 80,000 people to play like the other day. It's a great game and we're in good form despite the game against Getafe. It will be a great game. They are some very interesting rooms", he stressed.

In this sense, he praised the 'seal' of Imanol Bailiff in the Real. "Imanol's commitment for years has been excellent. He is a proven coach, who has made history because he has won titles with Real. I like many things about Real, it is a great team and in that the credit belongs to Imanol", commented.

He did not want to give "clues" in training about the possible starting eleven, not even about the ownership of Iñaki Peña in goal, and downplayed the appointment of Jesús Gil Manzano as match referee after he sent off Polish striker Robert Lewandowski in Pamplona.

"We will try to receive him in the best way possible. The referees are happy with their work when nothing happens. There is no problem for Robert either because he will be watching the game. I always tell my players to forget about the referee because these are situations that we do not control. That is not going to lower our state of mind. We have just won a title and this designation is not going to change anything for us", he reiterated.

Faced with the comparison between Sergio Busquets and the Real Madrid midfielder, Martín Zubimendi considered that the realist is "more physical and faster", while the blaugrana "is better technically and sees the pass better". "But Real isn't just Zubimendi, it's Brais, 'Illarra', Merino and Silva, who is a differential player. We're talking about a very good team and it will be a difficult game," he said.

He justified that you cannot always be at a "brilliant level" as in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, as he admitted that against Getafe the team was "thicker" in the number of turnovers. "You are not always excellent because there are times when you are not so lucid and you have to be competitive while not being brilliant," he stressed.

He predicted a "quite calm" winter transfer market, especially in terms of incorporations, although "without ruling anything out" before delving into the debate on the 'fiery' of the young international Gavi.

"There is a referee who decides. Gavi puts pressure and courage on him. I see it the other way around: I consider that few fouls are whistled. When he goes to the national team he is wonderful and when he plays for Barça he goes over the line", he lamented.

The Barça coach considered that Gavi is "an example of courage", but that when he plays with his team "he doesn't like it". "I tell Gavi that he put the same passion and even more, courage, sacrifice and that he does not stop, because he has no ceiling," he said.

On the other hand, he celebrated that the Super Cup title has given them "great confidence". "But we can't stop. This is parked and we have to change the 'chip'. We have the League, the Cup and the 'Europa League' left. We want to win all three," he added.

For him, Marc André Ter Stegen is at a "spectacular level", perhaps at his "best moment" since he arrived at the club. "He reminds me of Ter Stegen from 2015. He is in a sweet moment, spectacular with confidence and if he makes a difference to us, he is welcome. We also attach great importance to defensive work and it is paying off in the League," he explained.

He sees Frenkie de Jong as a "total footballer" for the midfield who can play as a defensive pivot, although Xavi Hernández likes him more as an interior player, he assured that "at no time" has the departure of Franck Kessié from Ivory been considered and celebrated that he has the entire squad available to face Real.

"Penalties? We have worked everything that can come into play. Real don't concede goals, they have a very well-worked defensive line and concede very little. It's a great game, very difficult for us and hopefully for them too," he wished.