Xavi (3): "Every team needs a player like Eto'o"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper Sport, Barcelona midfielder Xavi talked about the season so far.


(read the earlier parts of the interview here)


What about the "love story" between you and Guardiola?
Yeah, yeah. We were meant to be together. No, but seriously, I'm very glad that he's here and I have nothing but gratitude for the confidence that he has in me. He has football fever and he spreads it to everybody. Nobody loves Barça more than he does.

What do you think about the accusations that he's inexperienced?
What does being inexperienced mean? He knows Barça better than anybody and what he learned as a player he still uses as a coach. I'm sure that he'll succeed as a coach.

Do you understand Samuel Eto'o's reaction to being substituted last match against Atlético?
We're not going to make a fuss about that. We all know Samuel and how powerful his character is, for better and worse. He always wants to play. If we didn't have Samuel we would have to create a player like him. Every team needs a player like him, one that always fights and is a continuous threat to the opposition.

Why do you think Bojan Krkic doesn't play as much as last year?
I don't think of it like that. You can't have an 18 year old carry the wight of the team on his shoulders. That is why there are other players to share that responsibility. Guardiola knows exactly what he needs to do.

Is Andres Iniesta from this world?
He is a player like Messi. They are players that are ahead of everybody. His style can't be copied. Andres has the quality that makes him better than his teammates. His playing is always a gift to football.

How do you feel about this new project now that you're two months into it?
It can't get better. The dressing room is united, we train hard and we know what we want to accomplish and how to do so.

Translated by Al


This was the third and last part of this interview.

You can readead the earlier parts here:
Xavi (1): "Home-grown players are easier criticized"
Xavi (2): "The Golden Ball belongs to Messi"