With Barcelona’s squad off duty until the fifth of December, manager Xavi Hernandez has taken advantage of that break to head out to his former home Qatar and take in some of the World Cup.
Naturally he was hunted down by the press upon arrival in Doha. He confirmed that he and Barcelona were in talks with Brazilian starlet Endrick Felipe, before picking out the best team at the World Cup so far.
“Spain is the team that has played the best, perhaps also alongside England in the first game, although England did not manage more than a draw against the United States.”
“Spain is at the highest level, right now. I also liked Brazil and France, but Spain showed a superiority that has not yet been seen in another team.”
Sport carried his comments, as Xavi also gave his thoughts on the upcoming Spain-Germany match on Sunday night.
“Spain have to show the personality they had on the first day. It will be an even game, both will want the ball. It will be an important war, but Germany starts with much more pressure than Spain.”
It is hard to argue with his assessment after Spain looked so dominant against Costa Rica, but as England showed, the first match does not give a rounded impression of a team. Should Spain put in a similarly confident showing against Germany, then La Roja will likely become favourites for many.
