Barcelona head coach Xavi has on Saturday provided his take on the ongoing controversy stemming from the aftermath of the club’s Champions League exit in midweek.
The subject of ongoings on the back of the full-time whistle in Barcelona’s defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday has of course dominated the headlines in Catalunya’s capital ever since.
This comes after İlkay Gündoğan caused quite the stir, in seemingly taking aim at teammate Ronald Araújo, owing to his costly dismissal inside the opening half hour of action:
“In these kind of crucial moments, you need to be sure to get the ball and if you can’t get it — again, I’m not sure if he got the ball or not — you have to stay away.
“I (would) prefer to concede the goal there or give the striker a one-on-one: give him the opportunity, let our goalkeeper save us or even concede a goal, because to be one man down with a red card so early in the game, it kills you.”
Drawn on the comments during a public appearance of his own on Thursday, Araújo, for his part, appeared less than pleased, in responding:
“I’d rather keep for myself what I really think. I have my own codes and values that I think you need to respect.”
In turn, reports in the media over recent days have inevitably pointed towards discontent in Xavi’s Barcelona ranks.
Just 24 hours out from his side’s Clásico showdown with Real Madrid, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of as much was put to the Blaugrana’s headmaster himself.
Xavi, however, was quick to shut down any claims of trouble in the camp, assuring that ‘everything has been settled’:
“Everything is solved. There is no more problem. By talking, people understand each other. When there is no bad intention there is no problem and that’s how everything has been. Everything is settled.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
