After being left out of the Copa del Rey Semifinals with the overtime defeat against Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona turned the page and focuses on its next league match. The Blaugranas receive Villarreal at home and need a victory to not fall further behind Girona and Real Madrid, who are eight and seven points ahead of them, respectively.
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In this context, the tension around technical director Xavi Hernández has increased, with his future on the culé bench still up in the air. "I have less left than more. Pep (Guardiola), how was he? Luis Enrique, three years? I've been there for two and a half. There will come a point when I'll leave, rest assured," the strategist himself accepted at a press conference.
The former soccer player recalled that the issue of his continuity with Barcelona has been going on since July, before starting the season due to a defeat in a friendly against Arsenal. However, he knows that this is how things are handled in big clubs. "I'm calm, we're doing a good job. I live in a different reality than yours. I know the club, I understand the noise, I have no problem."
"We arrived at the friendly against Real Madrid in Dallas with urgency. And, if we get through the tie against Athletic, we would say that Barça has returned. Football is details," added Xavi, who on the other hand said he was happy to return to the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, after a string of eight games away from home.
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A complicated rival
"We are happy to play at home, with our fans. We need to feel good about our fans," and he assured that they will not be overconfident against the Villarreal, since he believes that Marcelino's teams usually play well. "They haven't had good results, but they have players who can make a difference. If we play like we did against Athletic, that's the way to go and we'll go up," concluded the strategist, whose contract is stipulated until June 2025.
