Eric García had a different role on Saturday evening at Barcelona, which triumphed 0-4 on a visit to Elche. The originally central defender was placed centrally in midfield by Xavi. The winning coach emphasized at the press conference afterwards that the idea to move García through a line came from technical advisor Jordi Cruijff.
“The decision to give Eric a different position comes from Jordi Cruijff,” acknowledged Xavi, who did not have access to Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in midfield. “Jordi said last year that he saw Eric as a midfielder. We discussed it internally as technical staff and carried out tests for two months. We recently let him play like this in a friendly game with the reserve team and it could be that he that position will be the new liaison player. Eric certainly played a great game. It has been talked about a lot and we have recorded footage of him to look back on. I am happy with this development,” said the satisfied Barcelona coach.
The idea to pass on Eric García comes from Jordi Cruijff.
Ansu Fati
Xavi also commented on the performance of Ansu Fati, who scored a goal after almost an hour of play. The hit came three days after his father Bori Fati’s explosive interview Cadena COPE. Fati junior thinks the attacker should play more often and even flirted with a departure. Ansu Fati immediately had a starting place against Elche. “He was a great value to the team and really exhausted afterwards. His goal is the result of hard work and talent. If he keeps up like this, playing time will come naturally.” Xavi was also complimentary towards Aleix Garrido, who made his debut in the first team as a substitute.
“He fits the profile of Barcelona completely,” Xavi exulted at the press time. “He is a player who always has an eye for the last pass and someone with a lot of technical qualities. He still has a long way to go, but I certainly like him.” Xavi could not yet say whether the unfit De Jong will be back in time for the second game against Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. “He is doing everything he can, but we have to wait and see if a quick return is possible.”