In an interview with World Sports and Daily Sports, Barcelona sports director Jordi Cruyff said: “Barcelona have no plans to let Casey leave, he doesn’t want to go, and we don’t want him to go.” The chairman has said publicly that it is almost impossible to bring in aid in January. ”
Did you talk to Harvey about his contract renewal?
“I think Xavi knows the world of football best, he knows better than the rest of us in Barcelona, and he has said publicly that we are still in the middle of the season and that we are pursuing the goal of achieving our dreams. We’ll talk about everything after that. But for now, look at it calmly. Obviously we are very happy that he is in charge, but the problem is that people sometimes forget that the lineup has changed a lot, and sometimes it takes a little time to integrate, for such a special club, so different from other clubs, then the high requirements of the team are also different. It is very difficult to try to make the team run successfully from the beginning, and this situation is generally accompanied by the ups and downs of the team’s performance. I think Xavi has done a good job in this respect, I think he is very happy, and so are we. I think Barcelona as a whole, although we are out of the Champions League, the situation in the league before the suspension makes us very happy. Of course, there are areas for improvement, because there will always be, but I think everyone is very satisfied, because we have got a stable time, and we hope to maintain it. ”
Is it possible for Casey to leave in January?
“there is no plan for him to leave. Although I have seen some reports, he does not want to leave, nor do we want him to leave. ”
Is it possible for Nico to return to Barcelona in January?
“the lease contract is for one year, and this is the idea at first. At present, there has been no change in this respect. ”
Can Bard reach an agreement to renew his contract as soon as possible?
“We have been negotiating for some time and we are very satisfied with him. Everything he has achieved in the past six months is largely due to himself, and he has achieved basically all the dreams that a football lover can achieve. It is commendable for him to be able to withstand it calmly at his age when he is promoted to the first team, gain a foothold and take part in the World Cup. Of course we need him in the future and he has a good time at Barcelona. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before the contract is renewed. We started talking some time ago and we believe he will stay at the club for many years. ”
Will Bard’s future lead to the departure of Alba next summer?
“We haven’t thought about it yet. The current lineup is not the definite starting 11, but different choices, different types of full-backs, centre-backs, midfielders, strikers, wingers … Everyone is a little different and the coach needs to have the best possible squad. The club can always improve, but believes that having 17 World Cup players means the team is very competitive and everyone is important, as Xavi has proved. Looking at the players’ data and the situation in the last game and the penultimate game, three left-footed full-backs started. This is to let you know that things in a football match cannot be planned, because sometimes something happens and you have to improvise. ”
Barcelona are in good form in the league and are now at the top of the table, but they were eliminated again in the Champions League and now play in the Europa League. in order to correct this, what does the team need to improve?
“No excuses, because the best way to improve in life is to look at yourself and see what you can improve before blaming others. There are some factors that make it difficult for us to qualify in the Champions League. There are always exact moments that have been mentioned countless times that could have completely changed the situation of the team. We have also suffered injuries at some moments and thousands of them can be found for reasons, but we have come up with the best we can do. This is obvious. At least the good side is that we have really caught a good form in the league, are well balanced on every front and don’t concede a lot of goals on the defensive end. In this respect, the team showed its competitiveness, showed its own character, the team showed not only talent but also a tough personality against Valen or Osasuna. I think we are at a stage where we are taking the right steps, which has got us where we are. But it is also true that everything cannot be solved together, especially in terms of financial fairness. The situation we encounter is like a puzzle jigsaw puzzle. Let’s see which piece is the most important one to put down first. ”
Now there are different views. Some people think that it is necessary to bring in aid all the time, while others think that we should wait until the financial situation is good before buying people.
“this is together, and the chairman has already said that it is very difficult now because of financial fairness.”
Is it very difficult?
“the chairman has said publicly, yes, it is almost impossible now.”
The chairman said that at least the Financial Equity Act allows 1-1 (the money obtained by selling a player can be spent on a new aid). Has your sports department considered this 1-1 situation in the winter window?
“to be honest, this financial fairness is really difficult to understand. I think for everyone, if you are not an expert in this field, then 15 minutes is inexplicable. It’s very complicated, and sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Every week they are adding new rules, which complicates the situation, and the idea that it might have worked a month ago is now useless. This is the problem we have to deal with now. Although sometimes it is not up to us to decide, we still have to find a solution. It’s not just that a player can buy a player when he leaves. I hope so, but it’s not. This is a situation that needs to be studied, the transfer market will open next month, it is obvious that according to the situation we always have A, B, C plans, but if not, then we now have a squad of 17 international players participating in the World Cup, which means that the squad is already very good. ”
Are you pessimistic about fiscal fairness now?
“this is not a pessimistic or optimistic problem, it is a problem that we have to face realistically. If we can’t do it, then we can’t do it, then we’ll continue to use the existing squad. 17 international players show that this team is competitive. Of course, in the football world, we always want to be stronger and we have the idea to achieve this goal, but if we can’t do it, we will do our best. We are in good form in the league and I hope we can continue to do so in the second half. ”
Say a word to Barcelona fans, financial fairness will determine your actions in the winter window?
“I think the president has made it very clear that we are in a very difficult situation and it is almost impossible, so it doesn’t make much sense to talk about bringing in aid now. However, it is also true that there is still a month to go before the transfer window, let’s see if we can use this time to do something. ”
You went to Qatar to watch the World Cup. What kind of football did you see?
“I saw a very different national team. I saw a slightly different World Cup. I think the fact that other World Cups are played in the summer has a big impact, when you have time to prepare after the end of the league, and this time you can see that everything is going very fast, the league is over, it will be reported in four days and then the game will be played. It can be seen that some players are physically weak in some games. Everything passed quickly, you just finished the league game, and then you went there to adapt to a new climate and a different stadium. I can see that the players lack energy, and I think this World Cup is more about the team as a whole, with less individual shining, and not many teams have the kind of players who take the ball and change the game. ”
You mentioned the name Koddous, which has little to do with Barcelona?
“the question at that time was whether I knew this player, it was obvious that he was an Ajax player, of course I did, it was not a question related to Barcelona, it was just that there was always a discussion in the Netherlands about which position Koddous would play better. After every game, 50% of the media fans will say that he is better at playing as a striker, while the other 50% will say that he is better at playing midfield. ”
But are Barcelona and Koddous completely out of the question in the short term?
“No, because financial fairness does not allow us to do too much. Dreams are free, but players are not. ”
What do you think of the elimination of the Spanish national team?
“Morocco is a national team that many people are not familiar with, a mixture of players of different styles, and they have gradually grown in terms of confidence and emotion in this tournament. Spain, on the other hand, created high expectations after winning the first game with that performance, and sometimes the pressure didn’t help, but once it didn’t. If 7-0 Costa Rica were in the third game of the group stage, you would have welcomed the knockout stage with different confidence. Some teams don’t start the World Cup well and then grow up, and some start well, but it’s hard to meet people’s expectations, because now if you play as well or badly as you did in your last game, then you have to show the same performance next. ”
After watching the World Cup and then back to Barcelona, which direction do you think football is going? Pay more attention to tactics? Pay more attention to the body? Pay more attention to space? Pay more attention to oppression?
“Football has changed, not just because of the World Cup, but as a whole. If you had won the midfield game ten years ago, you could have won the battle. That’s what I used to say. It’s not that important these days. Now it is often said that the result of the game depends on the situation in the penalty area, on your resilience on the defensive end, and on your efficiency on the offensive side. This means that football is becoming faster now, which does not mean that there is more emphasis on the body, but that it is faster. It means that the first touch of the ball is no longer a full-back pass or cross pass, but now it is a direct forward pass. This is the current wind of football, especially against English teams or German teams, they are more offensive and defensive teams to change, force and attack. In this respect, it’s a change now, it doesn’t mean you can’t play according to your own DNA, we always have a good example of Guardiola, his football philosophy is very similar to Barcelona, he is coaching in the Premier League, we have to say that the league is a league with rapid offensive and defensive transition, but he continues to implement his football philosophy and his football DNA there. Today’s football needs to be very fast, but just because one thing happens doesn’t mean you have to give up another. ”
The Spanish national team plays in the same style as Barcelona, which is a bit out of date? Are they too addicted to the past?
“I don’t think so. I think if you are facing a team that plays offensive and defensive conversion, then if you can’t catch up with them, you will suffer every time you concede the ball, which is true, but this is true in the football world as a whole. If you analyze the Barcelona midfielder 15 years ago, analyze the three players in the front court 15 years ago, and analyze the midfield needs of 15 years ago, that is different. When you have to have the ball, you have to choose the right time to pass the ball that breaks the defence, and they have the personal ability to decide the game. The first task of Barcelona’s defenders at that time was not to concede the ball, but to play the ball and pass the ball to the midfield like the midfield tore through the opponent’s defence. I think the demand for players has changed nowadays, but the midfield always depends on his front and back teammates. The midfield of some teams has to fill the position of the centre-back, and some midfielders have to be able to break into the penalty area and score goals. It all depends on the squad you have, on how you build the team. Depending on the lineup, the requirements and needs for your team’s midfield are also different. The comparison between the current midfield and the midfield 10 years ago is unfair, because the attack and defense at that time is also different from what it is today. Compared to simply saying that they are three outdated midfielders, the actual situation is much more complicated, this is not the case, because they are three very good players. ”