Barcelona coach Xavi praised his group of players in the run-up to the La Liga match with Sevilla and complimented keeper Marc-André Ter Stegen in particular. The German goalkeeper received a lot of criticism after the 3-2 win over Elche, after which his coach jumped in for him.
‘Elche punished our own mistakes’, Xavi began his story about his goalkeeper at the press conference on Monday. “Our goals against are a problem for the team, not our goalkeeper or the defense alone. Marc-André was not to be blamed for much. In any case, he is of fundamental value to us.’ Xavi called his goalkeeper’s strengths, dedication and professionalism.
“His core aspects of being a professional footballer are extraordinary,” Xavi continued. “Individual mistakes can always be avoided, but his footwork is fantastic, for example. For me there is no discussion. Of course Marc-André can improve on enough points, but he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. In terms of quality, only Manuel Neuer is of the same level’.
Barcelona is no less than ten points behind Sevilla in La Liga, which is second behind leaders Real Madrid. At the press conference, Xavi emphasized again that his team needs time to achieve consistent, good results. ‘I am happy with everyone’s efforts. Sometimes we even have to slow down boys in their enthusiasm. Players like Ter Stegen, but also Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba and Frenkie de Jong are trying to pull the trigger and the young players are doing their utmost.’
