“There is a little empathy missing” – Barcelona coach Xavi makes honest admission about provocative celebrations from Garnacho and Vinicius
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has claimed that some of the celebrations made against his team have been provocative and urged his opponents to have some empathy.
In a press conference ahead of the Catalans' La Liga clash against Almeria, he said:
“It’s hard to answer. I think when a player is happy, he shows all kinds of anger and grievances towards you. Each player expresses it as it happen. There is a little empathy missing. I think you should celebrate with your teammates and not celebrate to provocate others.”
This comes after Barcelona's tough 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford that sent them crashing out of the Europa League. After the game, Alejandro Garnacho posted an image of himself doing the binocular celebration, something that Barcelona's star Pedri is also known for.
The midfielder missed the game due to injury and the Argentinian appeared to take a dig at him. He also accompanied the image with the caption, "The big team goes through."
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Vinicius Junior has also suffered criticism for his celebrations. Last year, a Spanish agent asked him to "stop playing the monkey," referring to the winger's celebratory dances following a goal. The Brazilian received support from teammates and rivals alike, notably Barcelona winger Raphinha and Xavi himself.
Xavi will look to put the loss against United behind him with a win against relegation-threatened Almeria in La Liga on Sunday (February 26). He will hope that elimination from European football will not deter the team's hopes of a domestic treble as they lead the league by eight points.
Barcelona looking into the possibility of signing Liverpool midfielder
Barcelona are considering signing out-of-contract Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita in the summer. According to Spanish outlet Diario Sport, the Guinean is part of a long list of midfielders the Blaugrana are interested in bringing to Camp Nou this summer, which includes the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Youri Tielemans and N'Golo Kante.
Barcelona 'on pole' to sign Naby Keita, it has been claimed
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Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that there has been no contact between Keita and the Merseyside club over an extension, and the Reds have resigned to losing the midfielder in the summer.
With Sergio Busquets' departure imminent, the La Liga giants will look to complete a deal for a midfielder. While it is not his natural role, Jurgen Klopp has played Keita in that position.