Every match becomes a final for Barcelona. Ahead of us is a week in which the Barça club will face each other, outside its magical mountain, with Betis this Sunday (6:30 p.m., Movistar +), on matchday number 21 of the League, and with Athletic on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. Some 75 decisive hours ahead, but for Xavi Hernández, the challenge is a great opportunity: “It is the best setting to see the good Barça, to win and see a good game.” The Barça coach does not lack confidence, who continues talking about fighting for the League – they are fourth, eight points behind the leader Girona, with one more game –, the Champions League and the Cup. “We have to go for the titles we have left , improve in the game and win games by convincing. There are three very important titles and we want to fight until the end,” he added. He believes “firmly” in achieving it, with “optimism” and “arguments.”
His “optimism,” he says, is something that the club’s surroundings lack: “Barça has not always won. We accept the demand, but we lack positivity. I always wake up positive. We are playing with very young players, that is why I say that we are under construction. Failure would be not trying.” For this reason, the coach has praised the mental strength of Ferran Torres: “He embodies what a mentally strong footballer is, necessary to play for Barça, because on a day-to-day basis they make you feel small and worthless.”
To get back on the right path, Xavi has pointed out the team’s mistakes: “We have given away a lot of things defensively. We have conceded too many goals conceded, our mistakes, and we have also lacked effectiveness up front and in goal. We are not doing many things well that we did last year.” Outside of the Super Cup, hope and sight is set on the League, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. The first obstacle will be Betis, at home, with its people. Next up, a great challenge that ends in San Mamés: defeating Athletic Club in the quarterfinals of the Cup. “San Mamés is always complicated, it is a rival that we did not want. The last two times there they have eliminated us. Hopefully the third time is the charm,” shared Xavi. The need for titles hits the Barça Sports City, and their coach trusts them.
“Tomorrow we have a difficult start. But we return to the second round of the League with great enthusiasm. We know that we have an important difference with Girona and Madrid, but that we can overcome,” Xavi explained in the press conference prior to their duel with Betis. Barcelona has not lost in 11 games at Villamarín – nine wins and two draws. The last one was more than ten years ago, in the 2010/11 season in a Cup match. And if we think about the League, the Betic team has not beaten Barcelona at home since the 2007/08 season. This season, however, the Betic stadium has emerged as a fortress: neither Atlético, nor Madrid, nor Girona have been able to fight for anything more than a draw.
For Manuel Pellegrini, Betis coach, Barcelona will be a tough rival: “If we think that we are going to play against a Barça in crisis, we are wrong. They have players who make a difference. I see them with the same potential as last season, the same now even with a larger squad. “We are not going to find a weakened squad.” This season, Betis has not lost a home game in the domestic competition (six wins and five draws), and in the 13 games of the entire season and in all competitions, only one loss as a resident. Pellegrini’s team is the third team that concedes the fewest goals in the League (20). A fortress that Barcelona will have to attack if they do not want to finish falling behind Real Madrid and Girona. “The objective is to try to get back into this League that has become complicated for us,” said the Barça coach.