Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has expressed his frustration with the Spanish media for not giving his Barcelona side the credit they deserve in his eyes. With a 13 point advantage over closest rivals Real Madrid, Xavi did not seem to understand why his side were not being lauded.
Speaking after Barcelona’s 0-0 draw with Girona, Xavi went off-script with one of his answers, explaining that he was
“I’ve heard on a program that this LaLiga is ‘cheaper’. It surprises me and annoys me. It’s the post-Messi era, there has been an enormous effort, in order to put this team together, the team gives their all… and I don’t like this. But we can’t control it. We value the work a lot. We have to win LaLiga no matter what in these 10 games.”
He continued his line of thought later on, when asked exactly why it frustrated him so much.
“If we win La Liga we have to celebrate it in style. From within we value it. The feeling is that if Barca wins, it is valued less. But we will give it a lot of importance.”
He was also asked about Barcelona’s struggles in their last two games, a question he rejected out of hand. Marca carried his answer.
“It’s incredible for me to talk about a mini-crisis if we are 13 points ahead of Real Madrid and 15 ahead Atletico. The team has run, they have tried. They have exhausted themselves. We are the team that runs the most. We have given everything.”
On one level it is understandable that the fashion in which Barcelona are marching towards the title is less than thrilling, while their cup competition exploits continue to raise doubts.
On the other hand, Xavi has a point. The sheer domination of Barcelona in La Liga has removed some of the tension from the title race, and perhaps taken away some of the attention their record up until now.
