Xavi: "All the good things are coming"

Barcelona player Xavi gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





What a month of April Barça is facing.
We have one and half, two months of high-level competition left. All the good things are coming and we hope to continue at the same level. The team has a lot of motivation to win, we're having a great season but now the hour of the truth will arrive. We're alive in three competitions and hopefully we can win all three.

What do you feel now?
I hope to win trophies. We have a cup final, a league with Madrid at six points, we're in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so we're going to enjoy the moment and keep on working at the same level to win trophies.

Barça is the favourite against Bayern?
It's clear that Bayern proved in the tie against Sporting that they have great potential and besides that they have the little advantage of playing the second game at home. We might be favourites because of the moment we're in, for the game we're playing, for the goals... Everybody enjoys and praises Barça, but at this stage of the Champions League, you don't have a clear favourite. I don't want to believe that we're the favourites because I just don't see it that way.

Will it have a big influence that the return games in the quarter- and semi-finals are away from the Camp Nou?
You cannot know it, it depends. You have the chance to prevent the other team from scoring in the first game. You can go into the tie with a different set-up. It's not a very good thing, but the team is capable of winning against any opponent.

Talking about the semi-finals, Arbeloa already started to tease you a little.
Yes, he did (laughs). But I don't think they would be happy to see us coming, although Liverpool is an opponent nobody likes to play against. It's a very solid team, they play very good. A semi-final against them would no doubt be some kind of final.

You said that there's one and a half, two months left. Guardiola said something about this, he's getting you focused for the last part of the season?
Pep tells us to enjoy playing football, to give everything we have so our conscience will be clear. Starting from that, we get out on the pitch to win, to attack, to play an attractive football, to enjoy and until now things have turned out very well.

Do you feel the pressure they're trying to put on you from Madrid?
We always have pressure because we play at Barça. I think they have more pressure because they're behind and they cannot make a mistake. They're six points behind and at this moment they're only in one competition, so they have more pressure than us. I sure wouldn't want to change positions.

How do you look at the possible return of Florentino Pérez and the transfer rumours?
Well, if you follow the news, you here a lot of talk about Florentino and the star signings. We'll see what will happen but football isn't only about money. It's a team sport and money doesn't guarantee you trophies.

Talking about transfers, would you like Eto'o to renew and continue?
Of course, I've always said that I would like him to renew. Whenever we needed a goal, Samuel has always been there, he has an impressive record and for me he's the best striker in the world. I hope he can reach an agreement with the club for the good of us, the club and himself because I think he won't find another place like Barça.

You're going through a great moment yourself: best player of the European championships, you can win three trophies this season...
Yes, it's a great moment, I'm in the best situation. The World Cup that is coming next season... I'm delighted to be a football player, to be able to take part in those great competitions.

And Lothar Matthäus told us that you're the best midfielder in the world.
Yes, I read that and the truth is that it's a spectacular compliment coming from a person like him, whose for me a key player from the nineties.


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Transfer history: Xavi was close to Milan