Inter-Barcelona, ​​Xavi: “The double challenge is decisive, it is forbidden to make mistakes. We want to dominate the game”

Xavi remembers it the last time he passed through here to challenge blaugrana’s Inter dressed: “Of course I thought about the 2010 semi-final, we traveled by bus to the Icelandic volcano, it wasn’t easy to get here … We took the lead , but they had a squadron trained by Mourinho. We were unable to come back at home, but we lost the final at San Siro. There was a lot of controversy, it’s a sad memory for us ”. So, when in the conference before this new Inter-Barça Champions League he was reminded of alleged referee mistakes in that intersection that became history, the Barcelona coach used common sense: “I’m just saying that the referees should speak in the conference to explain, so we would humanize them more. I have absolute confidence in their honesty ”.

In short, the past has a weight, but perhaps the present more because Xavi’s team will also have patches, but they have a style to defend, and they seem to be very well-placed against an Inter full of troubles: “We want to dominate, have possession of the ball and play in the opponent’s half – that’s Xavi’s message -. This is the history of Barcelona and I will not change it. Today we analyze our rivals a lot, but our mentality is always to be protagonists of the game ”.

THE XAVI PLAN

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The Nerazzurri, even if in free fall, worry the Catalan coach a lot, admired by certain “automated mechanisms” of Inzaghi that resist regardless of absences: “Inter uses a different form than other teams we have faced, the game by Inzaghi is very dynamic and uses two points, which is no longer there in Spain. It is a difficult rival, who played very well against Roma and would have deserved the victory, we must prove that we are Barcelona, ​​play like in Bavaria but achieve a result ”. And again, more in detail about the challenge: “We will have to attack and not let Inter run, because they are a very vertical team and dominate many parts of the game. We will try to demonstrate our personality. Are they running on us and not on Bayern? It seems to be so. We both lost against the Germans, the double challenge between us will be fundamental. We cannot go wrong: it is not vital, but very important ”.

BETWEEN LAUTARO AND MESSI

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As for injured players tomorrow at San Siro no one is doing well, but Xavi is forced to go further: “We both lose something, but Inter’s block plays well, despite the interpreters.” And other words, then, about one of the stars in doubt among the Nerazzurri: “Lautaro is a really important player, very good both at receiving his back to goal and at shooting. He looks for spaces and is very interesting, we’ll see if he will play… ”. Of another Argentine teammate of Toro in the national team, one who for many will one day return to Catalonia, instead, better not to talk: “Now is not the time to tackle the Messi issue. I wish him well, Barcelona is his home, but speaking of him we are not doing him a favor ”. In that 2010 there was also the Flea, but now his old partner Xavi says he already has “an 11 in his head” to trip Inzaghi, a colleague full of compliments in the conference: “But I won’t tell you, otherwise I will first to say training directly to Simone… ”.