Barcelona midfielder Xavi has asserted that the clubs philosophy is untouchable - irrespective of Gerardo Martinos influence on their style of play. The reigning Liga champions have gone unbeaten since the Argentine coach took over from Tito Vilanova in the summer and, though the Catalans tactics have been noticeably tweaked to allow for a more direct approach, the Blaugranas vice-captain dismissed suggestions that they are a different breed of team this season. The teams philosophy is untouchable and non-negotiable, Xavi, 33, told reporters on Friday. That was Martinos message to us on his first day. There are no internal debates going on. We know how we’re playing and the ideas are set. We have a clear philosophy: to play attractive football, on the attack and achieve our targets. We have never thought of changing our style. Barca sit top of La Liga and have reached the Champions Leagu knock-out phase with two group games to spare, but Xavi is insistent that they can be even better and is relishing the pressure placed upon the players by their trophy-hungry supporters. We know what the demands are, the World Cup winner stated. We want to recover the excellence of other years, but it’s sometimes hard. But the dynamic is the same and there’s room for improvement. What do we need to improve? Sometimes we should be the protagonists more, extend our possession. We have to find our mistakes and correct them. We accept the criticism, but our style hasn’t changed. We go out to get the ball in their half, that’s not playing on the counterattack. We try to be the protagonists. There are times when we feel really good, playing great football, like in the first half against Milan. But we have to play like that for the full 90 minutes. Such big demands are a challenge that we relish. Barcas next encounter is a visit to Betis on Sunday, with kick-off at 21:00CET.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:23:12 +0000
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