Barcelona manager has surprised many by praising opponents Getafe and their manager Jose Bordalas ahead of their clash on Saturday. In their first game of the season, Xavi was enormously frustrated with the refereeing and the continued stoppages during the game, but ahead of the match at least, he was full of complements for his opposition.
“We are playing at home and we need the fans, we need their support. Tomorrow is a very important match against Getafe, they are very well trained by Bordalas. It’s true people always say Getafe are defensive. They are not a defensive team, for me they are a brave team with a very high defensive line. They have gotten points at the Metropolitano and they always compete. It is a difficult opponent, but they are three very important points for the fight for the League title.”
He was asked about Bordalas and Getafe on several occasions, including about their perceived tendency to play at the limit of the rules, but Xavi did not fall into the trap.
“I don’t talk about referees anymore. I like his aggressiveness about Bordalas and he is getting a lot out of his teams. They press you very high and we will have to do things very well to get out of the pressure. They are performing very well and it is to be praised. For me, they are not a defensive team,” Xavi explained.
“Getafe take advantage of any set-piece situations and transitions, but I don’t think Getafe is going to shut up shop in a low block. They are going to put in a high defensive line. I don’t see Getafe being defensive, of course they can change, but that’s what we’ve analysed.”
Getafe have frequently caused problems for Xavi and Barcelona in recent seasons, but the reality is they have been a difficult nut to crack for the majority of teams in La Liga at some point or another, particularly under Bordalas. A cynic would be tempted to say that Xavi was looking to avoid, providing any extra motivation for Los Azulones, who have thrived of getting into battles with other sides.
