Xavi talks to the SC: In Qatar they live El Clasico as if we were in Barcelona!

(This post originally appeared on www.sc.qa)

The next few weeks will hold three special matches for former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez in Qatar, and he says the country he now calls home is already buzzing with excitement ahead of the special occasions.

Exactly six years before Qatar hosts the world for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, Xavi Hernandez talked to www.sc.qa in an exclusive interview on football passion in Qatar ahead of El Clasico, how much he looks forward to welcoming his former team-mates to Doha for a December 13 friendly against Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, and that he is preparing for Qatar’s own version of ‘El Clasico’.

“The football players from my team Al Sadd already remind me on a daily basis that this week there is a Clasico,” Xavi said about Saturday’s La Liga clash between the eternal rivals in Spain. “You see it here everywhere on TV, on Bein Sports they show classic matches which I enjoy watching again. You can breathe the game worldwide, and here in Qatar there is a huge expectation ahead of the match. I’ll enjoy it at home. I’ve seen some Clasico’s here already, and you really live it as if we were in Spain, in Barcelona. Everyone is looking forward to the game.”

Just ten days after the game at the Nou Camp, Xavi will catch up with his long-time colleagues in Doha, as Barcelona visit Qatar for the first time for the match against the champions of Saudi Arabia.

“To all of my former team-mates in Barcelona, it is a great pleasure to be able to welcome you here in Qatar. I am here as an ambassador of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and it’s a great opportunity for the people of Qatar to see Barcelona. I hope we see a great game against Al Ahli, especially those who come to the stadium and those who watch on television. It’s a magic opportunity to see Barcelona live in the Middle East. I am in touch with the players a lot, but it’s a great opportunity to see them in person again, to go to the hotel and be with them at the stadium too. It will be a great opportunity to see how Qatar celebrates football ahead of 2022. It will be a full stadium, a spectacular game of football, because here they really love Barca.”

The former Barcelona captain said he was also looking forward to a tightly contested El Clasico on Saturday.

“It’s difficult to make a prediction because in a Clasico you never know. I remember having gone to the Bernabeu 21 points behind them and having been better and we drew 1-1. Another time we arrived in great form, and then Real Madrid came to the Camp Nou a lot of points behind us and they won the game. These are games where you never know what will happen. But I hope and wish that Barcelona wins.”

“It’s true that Barcelona is not coming from the best period in San Sebastian, and Real Madrid haven’t lost in 31 games. But it doesn’t mean anything, we’ll see how the game begins. Barcelona is playing at home, and they have to win, because it is 6 points difference and otherwise it would be 9. The difference would be a world, but you never know. It is difficult to make a prediction, but I just hope that Barcelona gets back to the level of play they had a few weeks ago and that they play a good game, they control the play and dominate, and that Real Madrid suffers. I also see Real Madrid very strong, they have a great team so it will be a very nice game to watch.”

For the Al Sadd midfielder who won 25 titles at Barcelona, including the 2015 UEFA Champions League in Berlin in his last game for the club, the key will be to dominate possession.

“To win the game Barcelona needs to dominate play, against San Sebastian they lost the possession. Barcelona needs to recover their best form, especially in possession of the ball. That’s where Barcelona feels the most comfortable. If we don’t have the ball we’re not comfortable. Iniesta will be back, he is a very important person for Barcelona to have possession and organise the play, so that will be important.”

Xavi continues to closely follow global football and also praised his former coach Pep Guardiola for the way he has imposed his style in England.

“Guardiola is doing a great job in England, we’ve seen some fantastic games by Manchester City, I think they played very well against Barcelona in Camp Nou until the sending off of Bravo, and in Manchester as well. I have seen some of the games they have played in the league, and you can that Guardiola is imposing his style on Manchester City. The ‘problem’ of the Premier League is that everything is very close, there are 5 or 6 teams with chances to win the title. Chelsea is strong, Liverpool is strong, Spurs lost the other day but they are there, Manchester didn’t start very well, but I’m sure they’ll get better and be up there. They are teams that could win the league. There is more competition in England than in other leagues, but I see Guardiola doing very well and he’ll do a great job there.”

Xavi also expressed admiration for the work being done by Chelsea coach Antonio Conte ahead of the Manchester City match against Chelsea this weekend.

“Conte is a coach who works very well. We’ve seen it with Spain when we lost to Italy, and the great work he’s done with Juventus. He can adapt his team having the ball but also without it, he is very well prepared. It will be a great match to watch, Guardiola wants to do the same as he did in Barcelona; have the ball, dominate possession, we will see a great game. It will be a battle between coaches and teams for the league, very interesting to watch.”

Xavi will play in ‘Qatar’s version of El Clasico’, as he calls it, next week when his Al Sadd team take on last year’s Qatar Stars League champions Al Rayyan. And he believes that as Qatar prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, the country is creating a new generation of talented players.

“There is a good team in Qatar, with talented players. There are players in the Under 23 and Under 19 teams who can be very important in 2022. There are coaches in Aspire and the QFA such as Felix Sanchez who are very important, and I am working in coaching with the Under 23 team and enjoying it. There are great players and six years to go until 2022. Those in the current National Team and the youth teams will be a great combination to compete in the home World Cup. The organization for the World Cup is going well, and in terms of football development we have time to work with these players, so there is the basis is there to have a great tournament.”