Xavi Complains About Unavailability Of Key Players Despite Wining
- Barcelona Head Coach Complains About Unavailability Of Key Players Despite Win Over Porto.
Barcelona picked up an incredibly hard-fought three points against Porto on Wednesday night, a result that saw them make it two wins from two in this season’s Champions League. However, it was far from a vintage performance.
Xavi Hernandez discussed the encounter when he spoke to the media post-match, where he assessed his side’s performance over the piece. He was pleased with the first half showing, but less so with what Barcelona produced in the second period.
Xavi also admitted that his side found it difficult to retain much control on the match, and cited the absences of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong as a contributing factor.
“Without using it as an excuse, today our best players for holding on to the ball were at home injured.”
Xavi also addressed the curious case of Lamine Yamal, who was absent from the match for nine minutes after leaving to use the toilet.
“Lamine Yamal was unwell, he had an illness. He had been telling me for a while. I took advantage of a break in play to tell him to be quick and go to the toilet, but in the end they told me that he wouldn’t be able to get back on the pitch.”
Xavi certainly was not overly happy with the performance, but he will be delighted with the result in Porto, which sees Barcelona in an excellent position to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
