Xavi: «It doesn’t make sense to play. Adulterate the competition »

Xavi Hernández expressed his disgust with LaLiga for keeping the duel between Mallorca and Barça on Sunday, corresponding to the nineteenth day. A game that the Catalans face low minimums due to the long list of casualties due to injuries and the coronavirus. “We are in an extreme situation because we have between 17 or 18 casualties. I think we got Umtiti back, which has been negative. I think it was the right time to call off the game. Adulterate the competition. A match was suspended in which Sevilla had three South Americans out, and we had one. It is my opinion and it is common sense. It seems that the rules are tough and that we will have to compete. Mallorca seems to be in a situation similar to ours. But in basketball the classic is suspended. There is no point playing tomorrow. The situation is chaotic. The game should have been suspended but we will play with who we are to win. I do not understand that this game is played. There is no common sense, “argued the Barça coach.

The Egarense influenced in comparing the situation with that experienced in other sports and other competitions when asked about why LaLiga does not give its arm to twist. “It is a question for the president of LaLiga and those who decide, but it is evidence that we have 17 or 18 casualties due to covid. Not even Mallorca will have their team, and neither will Barça. It is a decaffeinated game and it is an extreme situation. We have 11 cases of covid and there may be more. Italy’s Serie B has stopped, basketball … Honestly, I don’t understand it, “he insisted.

Apart from his disgust at having to face the clash in draconian conditions, Xavi referred to the tense conversations between Barça and Ousmane Dembélé on account of the French winger’s negotiation. «It is a negotiation. Agents are difficult sometimes. Our position is clear and is in process. He remains optimistic with Dembélé. We have to row in the same direction. I have spoken to the player again. I am not disappointed, there is always a tug of war. The agents surely do not understand that we are in a complicated situation. We make a good proposal to Dembélé, economic and sporty. There is a scuffle, right now the positions are a bit far away. But Ousmane is a footballer trained to be one of the best in the world in his position. I think it is an opportunity for him and that he cannot miss it, “he said.

He spoke of Ferran Torres, a brilliant signing for Barça but whose registration in LaLiga depends on Joan Laporta balancing the accounts. “We are in this situation. Ferran is a spectacular signing, as a footballer and as a person. I would like to play. It is a signing that will give us a lot. It comes from having played with Pep and Luis Enrique. Let’s see how the salary limit is, but there have to be exits. If Ousmane renews, the salary limit allows us to sign. Let’s see if everything is solved », he pointed out.

Instead he avoided talking about Álvaro Morata, another footballer in the orbit of Barça. «Let’s talk about the players we have, Ferran and Daniel Alves, who are going to give us a lot. The rest are hypotheses. Talking about them neither improves nor hurts me. Let’s talk about the ones we have, ”he cut.