Xavi talks Messi, Ancelotti, Dembele, Gavi, being called a ‘gardener’ ahead of Rayo vs Barcelona

Barcelona finally bounced back to winning ways when they hosted Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou this weekend. A first-half goal and some heroics from Raphinha and Marc-Andre ter Stegen helped them see out Diego Simeone’s men 1-0, retaining their 11-point lead at the top of the table.

While they won 1-0, Barcelona could have easily had three or four on the day if it was not for some poor finishing, again.

These issues will have to be rectified for the last eight games of the season, especially with Real Madrid starting to pick up momentum.

Next up for Barça is a trip to Vallecas, Madrid, to take on Rayo Vallecano. Ahead of this exciting fixture, Xavi spoke to the media as part of his pre-game press conference.

On Rayo Vallecano: “I know it’s a cliche, but tomorrow’s match is very complicated, it’s a very united team. They are very intense, it will be difficult.”

On Busquets’ suspension: “Eric is one of the options we have to replace Busquets. We also have Frenkie and have called up Marc Casado. We have more options, but Eric did very well against Elche.

On Dembele: “Dembele will return on Saturday. He’s fine, like Christensen. Both will be back on Saturday.”

On La Liga: “There are 24 points left to play for and we’re 11 points clear. It’s a significant gap, but not definitive. We’ll be closer with each win.”

On Ancelotti’s words: “Ancelotti is right, there is not an 11-point difference if you look at the quality of Barcelona and Madrid. I take it as a great compliment, it says a lot about what we are doing this season in La Liga.”

On Alba, Busi’s dinner with Messi: “Alba and Busquets having dinner with Messi? I went for desserts later [laughs]. No, they have not told me anything about Messi.”

On coaching Messi: “These are hypotheses. We are focused on La Liga, nothing else. I like to talk about Leo, we have a very good relationship, but right now, it’s time for Rayo.”

On being called a gardener: “Being called a gardener dates back several years. I take it as a joke, and I won’t stop.”

On his renewal: “We have been talking with the president. I have a very good relationship with him. There are talks and there will be no problems.”

On ter Stegen: “I know ter Stegen’s personality because I played with him. He’s a very methodical person and right now, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world. He helps us even more because of our way of playing.”

On Gavi: “I don’t have the feeling that Gavi is receiving more kicks in recent games. He just goes into duels a lot. Physically, he’s very strong and wins many duels. I always tell him to watch out. The other day, he picked up a yellow in the first minute, but then held up well.”

Source: BarçaTV+