Xavi: 'Versatile squad is the key'

Xavi Hernández knows that there is still a very, very long way to go in La Liga 2023/24, and that the fact his team are currently top of the table "is no more than an anecdote, much as I like it."

He was speaking ahead of the game with Mallorca on Tuesday, but also looked back at the extraordinary comeback against Celta two days earlier. “We didn't play well against Celta" he said. "But we won and put ourselves top of the table. And I got to extend my contract, which shows that the club has its faith in our project.”

Island defence

Switching the focus to the upcoming challenge, he said “Mallorca is a difficult opponent. They have a lot to offer in defence and work very well for each other. They are physically very strong and have direct approach players like Muriqui and Darder. And this won't be an easy away trip against a team that wants to bounce back after such a big loss as the one to Girona”. 

“We are competing well, and in general we're playing good football. But I'd still like to see more mobility from my forwards and we need to attack spaces better. We can get so much more out of this attack, they need to work more on their positioning. But even though we had a bad game against Celta, we are on the right track”. 

Quality unit

"One of the best things about this squad is its versatility. We have different kinds of player for different positions. Players like Sergi Roberto, Gavi, João Cancelo, Gündoğan, João Félix, Kounde and Araujo who can adapt so well”.

All those are in his squad for the game at 9.30pmm CEST on Tuesday, but he is missing both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. “They are major losses" said the coach. "But like I say, we have different players to fill those gaps. We can rotate the bench, and that's very important."