Getafe manager praises Xavi ahead of Barcelona clash: “Sometimes we forget he’s a La Liga and Super Cup champion”

Barcelona will lock horns with Getafe in La Liga on Saturday in a bid to cut down the gap to the top of the table.

Building up to the game at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barça manager Xavi Hernandez praised Getafe and the work that their manager Jose Bordalas had done at the club.

Bordalas praises Xavi

And Bordalas returned the favour, thanking the Barcelona head coach and praising the former midfielder for the success he has achieved in Catalonia.

“I thank Xavi enormously for his words of praise for Getafe and for me. I have a very high regard for him and I consider him to be a great coach. He deserves all the respect in the world, as sometimes we forget that he is a La Liga and Super Cup winner,” Bordalas said.

The Getafe manager was also asked about what he thought of Xavi’s decision to leave Barça at the end of the season and whether that has helped the Catalans improve as a team. In response, he said:

“Xavi is a great professional. These are decisions made by colleagues that I can’t go into. I do not assess whether Xavi’s team is more or less motivated by the announcement of his departure.

“I’m not afraid, I respect everything and even more so against a team of Xavi’s quality. We have to have the mentality to go forward against a team that, in theory, is better.”

On facing Barcelona

Getafe held Barça to a draw earlier this season. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)

Bordalas also discussed tomorrow’s game in Montjuic and admitted that facing Barcelona is never easy, irrespective of what moment they are in.

“Facing Barcelona is always difficult. You never know if it’s a good time to face a team of Barcelona’s level. I can’t tell you if they are better now than before because I never comment on the work of other colleagues. I respect them and that’s how I do it. They are a great team and a historic rival,” he remarked.

When asked if his team would be playing for a draw against the current champions, the Getafe boss said:

“I’m always going to win games, without fear, because if I was afraid, I wouldn’t be a coach. I believe in my team’s ability to win against an opponent of that stature. We are more than ready to do it.”

Bordalas also spoke about a former Barcelona player, Ilaix Moriba, who will be returning to face his boyhood club tomorrow.

“Ilaix looks phenomenal, very focused and with a great commitment to get the win on a complicated pitch. He’s a phenomenal lad who always has a very good predisposition to face the game. He’s listening to us and that’s always important,” he remarked.

Source: AS