Barcelona are definitely flying after the club managed to grab their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals. Manager Xavi is also very spirited after enduring a very hard season so far. The club has little chance of winning La Liga this season and has no other trophy to fight for other than the Champions League.
Barcelona have struggled in the competition the last two years, being knocked out of the group stage twice. This is the first time in 4 years they have gotten back to the quarterfinal phase. And Xavi believes his young squad can help them go much further.
Xavi lauds Barcelona’s young talents
Xavi may not win anything this season, but he has helped the club lay it’s foundation for the future. He has brought up many La Masia graduates to the first team, where they have all been impressed. The likes of Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Marc Guiu, and Pau Cubarsi are proof of that. Specifically, both Yamal and Cubarsi have made their positions in the first team very strong already, with the former already earning some comparisons to Barca Lionel Messi.
This has earned much praise for both Xavi and Barcelona, who have given a chance to many youngsters due to their financial problems in bringing established stars. These players are surely going to keep the club challenging in the future, and they will be some of the best players as well.
Xavi: "Teams praising Barça's young players emerging? Surprisingly, everyone must see it. It’s surprising to see their ages. It looks like we have a young and inexperienced Barça, but they have a lot of talent. They were unknown last season." pic.twitter.com/60Fgh3duXO
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) March 16, 2024
Xavi praised the youngsters in his team: “Teams praising Barça’s young players emerging? Surprisingly, everyone must see it. It’s surprising to see their ages. It looks like we have a young and inexperienced Barça, but they have a lot of talent. They were unknown last season.”
Xavi isn’t afraid to take on PSG in UCL due to ‘history’
Barcelona are also very hopeful now that they are in the UCL quarterfinals. The trophy is their only chance of winning anything this season, and winning it will also be great considering their last UCL trophy was in 2015.
While Barcelona have managed to get the easier draw on their route to the UCL final, they will still be facing PSG in the quarterfinals. It will be very difficult for the Catalans to compete with a star studded PSG team, which includes Kylian Mbappe.
🔵🔴 Xavi on UCL draw: “We know that Paris Saint-Germain are probably the favourites because of the huge transfers that they made…”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 16, 2024
“But remember we have the history by our side with more Champions League trophies”.
“I’m sure we can compete, we will do our best”. pic.twitter.com/zURXQzYqcc
Xavi is optimistic about his side’s chances of victory, despite his opponent’s squad. He said, “We know that Paris Saint-Germain are probably the favorites because of the huge transfers that they made. But remember, we have the history by our side with more Champions League trophies. I’m sure we can compete, we will do our best.”
For now, both Xavi and Barcelona will focus on their next match in La Liga against Atletico Madrid on Monday.
