Xavi Hernandez admitted in a press conference that Real Madrid was better than Barcelona in the second half, but Barcelona was better in the first half, but Real was able to take advantage of its moments. And the coach confirmed that, starting tomorrow, you should think about the Girona match in the Spanish League.
[Ricard Torquemada, Catalunya Radio] Why did the team collapse after the break?
XaviToday’s draw is decided by details that we must control. The first goal came on a counterattack, and the second after losing a duel on the right wing. The two players were close together… Modric broke and Sergei couldn’t make a mistake because he had a yellow card. A penalty is bad luck… I think we had a very good first half to take the lead. Then everything will change. Congratulations to Real Madrid, they played a very good second half. The real does not forgive. They have a great squad, quality, uniqueness… It’s a shame because we were excited about the trophy but we were playing Champions League winners.
[Marta Ramon, RAC1] Are you worried about the result? What’s the message?
The message is that we lost 4-0, but we won the League and the Super Cup. We can still have a good season. You need to replace the slide and think of Girona. I am proud of the players. Today we saw the ingratitude of football. You control for several minutes, but the opponent scores. Congratulations to Real. no excuses.
[Xavi Llorente, TV3] Is this your worst night as Barcelona coach?
No no. I think the team had personality during the first half. I’ve had worse nights when the team wasn’t playing well and not competing. I always remember last season. If you want to win titles in Spain, you have to beat Real Madrid. It’s a tough night, but we have to think positively.
[Alfredo Martínez, Onda Cero] Don’t you worry about leaving the second half?
No, I think we’re getting disorganised. It is true that the second goal makes it difficult to reconnect with the match, but we lost order. There was no maturity and we have very young players. The real one worked. He didn’t play well in the first half, he’s leading 1-0.
[Cadena COPE] Are you afraid that this defeat will negatively affect the upcoming matches and the entire season, which has been very good in the league so far?
If we win La Liga with the Super Cup, I think it will be a very good season. 11 finals left. We have to keep competing.
[Josep Capel, Radio Nacional] Do you feel pain after this defeat?
Yes, today, yes. It will be hard to sleep tonight, especially being ugly. But tomorrow we are already thinking of Girona. It’s the King’s Cup, we’ve made it to the semi-finals and we’ve only been eliminated now. Now for the league.
[Alejandro Segura, Radio Marca] Is this defeat more than team mentality?
mentality no. It is true that the goals at 0-2 and 0-3 weighed on our shoulders, but the first half was ours, and the second was for Real, but Real could take advantage of its moments and we could not. Today more than ever it is about moments. If you don’t “kill” Real Madrid in football, it “kills” you.
[Adria Albets, Cadena SER] Ronald Araujo said Vinicius should focus on the game rather than talking. do you agree?
I don’t know… I don’t want any arguments. For me, Vinicius is an extraordinary player who made a difference like today. Players should play quietly, but that’s it. I will not interfere in things that are not mine, especially in Vinicius. He has his own coach and club and they will tell him how to behave.
[David Ibanez, Mediaset] Before the game you warned us when we said you found a way out of Ancelotti…
Yes, and I told the guys that too. This is Real Madrid. He doesn’t have to be in control, but he does make the most of his moments. We saw that last season or today. Our moment was in the first half. In the second half, Real Madrid were better, they pressed well, won games, and the counter-attacks did a lot of damage for us.
[Jordi Blanco, ESPN] Yesterday I compared Lewandowski to Benzema. Today, Benzema scored a hat-trick and Lewandowski looked lonely again… Do you think he suffers from this system with four midfielders?
No, we will not turn everything upside down now. Lewandowski has the most goals this season. He scores goals with four midfielders and three strikers… He’s calm. We are thinking of La Liga, which is a much more important competition than that.
[El País] Do you think that with De Jong, Christensen, Pedri and Dembélé we can get by?
There are no excuses. Today we’d rather have it, but I don’t know what will happen. We competed well in the first half without them.
[Tuttosport] Why isn’t the team doing well in tournaments like the Champions League, the Europa League or now the Copa del Rey?
We won the Super Cup against Real Betis and this is Real Madrid. We were much better. Every match is a different story. You have to take advantage of your moments. However, this is not a general summary.
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